Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act of 2023

Floor Speech

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Ms. HAGEMAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4389) to amend the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act to make improvements to that Act, and for other purposes, as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 4389

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 ``Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act of 2023''. SEC. 2. NEOTROPICAL MIGRATORY BIRD CONSERVATION ACT AMENDMENTS.

(a) Federal Share.--Section 5(e)(1) of the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 6104(e)(1)) is amended by striking ``25 percent'' and inserting ``33.3 percent''.

(b) Cooperation.--Section 7 of the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 6106) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``(c) Report to Congress.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of the Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act of 2023, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives a report describing the implementation of subsection (b) by the Secretary, which shall include, if applicable, a description of the composition of the advisory group convened under paragraph (1) of that subsection.''.

(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 10(a) of the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 6109(a)) is amended by striking ``2023'' and inserting ``2028''.

(d) Technical Corrections.--

(1) Definitions.--Section 4 of the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 6103) is amended--

(A) by striking paragraph (1); and

(B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (5) as paragraphs (1) through (4), respectively.

(2) Cooperation.--Section 7(b)(1) of the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 6106(b)(1)) is amended in the second sentence by adding a period at the end.

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Ms. HAGEMAN. 4389, as amended, the bill now under consideration.

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Ms. HAGEMAN. Mr. Speaker I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4389, sponsored by Congresswoman Salazar from Florida. This legislation reauthorizes the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act, which includes a grant program and research efforts designed to help conserve nearly 400 different species of birds that migrate between North America in the summer months and Latin America and the Caribbean in the winter months.

Protecting the habitat of these species is not only a good conservation policy but also good for economic activity. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service study found that roughly 96 million people participated in bird-watching activities, including maintaining habitat to benefit bird species. This includes individuals who participate in these activities in their local communities and those who travel to do so.

Encouraging habitat conservation efforts, such as those reauthorized by this bill, is a win for the environment, recreational activity, and local economies.

I thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Salazar) for her leadership on this important issue.

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today also in support of H.R. 4389, the Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act, which would help ensure the long-term protection of neotropical migratory birds.

More than half of our Nation's birds travel thousands of miles to spend winters south of the tropics, but habitat destruction has led to the loss of more than one in four of these birds since 1970. Imagine, a quarter of these birds have been lost.

This bipartisan bill will protect habitats along these migratory routes by reauthorizing the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation program.

This program has already benefited 5 million acres of migratory bird habitat in over 40 countries, and this bill will provide additional Federal support for these efforts.

This funding will facilitate multinational partnerships, conservation projects in habitat conservation, research, monitoring, and community outreach and education.

The bill will also address stakeholders' concerns and program inequities by easing matching requirements and enabling more high- quality projects to compete for grants.

These efforts will provide long-term protection for our beloved bird species and the habitats they rely on.

Our world is facing a biodiversity crisis with impacts that we are only just beginning to understand. I am pleased that we are working together across the aisle in a bipartisan manner today to address at least a part, but a very important part, of that serious challenge.

We all want to be able to continue to listen to the birdsong, to look up and marvel at the fact that these birds have traveled so far and are so essential to our entire habitat. I am very grateful for this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Ms. HAGEMAN. Salazar).

Many of us in this Chamber come from communities where being outdoors is part of our way of life and communities with vibrant ecosystems, particularly in places that serve as a home for migratory species.

We know that habitat conservation is critical to their long-term health. H.R. 4389 will help further conservation efforts by providing resources to those who are dedicated to advancing habitat restoration efforts and encouraging collaborative research efforts.

I thank Ms. Salazar once again for her leadership in reauthorizing this program, and I ask my colleagues to support this effort. I urge adoption of this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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