Keep America's Refuges Operational Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished chair for yielding, as well as his continued leadership of this all-important committee and in connection with this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in favor of H.R. 6734, the Keep America's Refuges Operational Act. I thank my colleagues, Representatives Thompson and Sablan, and certainly Representative Wittman for his leadership on the other side of the aisle.

This commonsense and bipartisan legislation reauthorizes the National Wildlife Refuge System volunteer, community partnership, and education program. Because of this program, refuges continue to benefit from volunteer support, which has successfully saved taxpayer dollars, generated millions for local economies, and promoted jobs in communities throughout America.

The National Wildlife Refuge System is comprised of over 560 refuges located in every United States territory and State. They make up over 800 million acres of habitat dedicated to the conservation of fish and wildlife. Each year, National Wildlife Refuge System hosts more than 60 million visitors, generating over $3 billion in revenue for local economies and supporting more than 40,000 jobs.

Visitors come from all over to explore, hunt, fish, and enjoy America's natural beauty. Refuges help to mold the next generation of conservationists and outdoor enthusiasts by providing learning experiences and cherished memories.

But this wouldn't be possible without the dedicated refuge volunteers and community partners who donate their time and their energy to keep refuges open and operational. During fiscal year 2021, approximately 11,700 volunteers gave close to 649,000 hours of their time, which is the equivalent of nearly 318 full-time employees or a contribution of more than $18 million.

Volunteers provide critical support to full-time staff in numerous ways. They operate visitor centers, conduct fish and wildlife population surveys, maintain visitor structures, roads and paths, fight invasive species, and protect native plants and animals. They also help refuges raise money for key infrastructure projects and visitor centers.

Volunteers are of all ages, come from diverse walks of life, work in many different capacities, and truly represent the gorgeous mosaic of the American people. But one thing they all have in common is their commitment to preserving America's natural beauty so that we can all enjoy it for years to come.

In the 115th Congress, the House passed an identical reauthorization bill, which was signed into law by President Trump in April of 2018. Since that time, the program has continued to leverage volunteer hours allowing wildlife refuges to remain accessible for millions of visitors each year. It is my hope that we can again work across the aisle to support, in different ways, our National Wildlife Refuge System.

I will take a moment to acknowledge the cosponsors of this legislation, Chairman Grijalva and Representatives Graves, Thompson, and Sablan, with a particular special thanks to Representative Wittman for partnering with me, once again, to advance this legislation. I greatly appreciate their leadership and longstanding support for the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Supporting this bill in this Chamber means supporting the economic benefits to be gained from being good stewards of the environment that God has given to this great country.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 6734.

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