Make State Wildlife Action Plans Efficient Act of 2025

Floor Speech

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Mr. CRANK. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1676) to amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to require the Secretary of the Interior to approve the wildlife conservation and restoration program of a State within a certain period of time, as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 1676

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 ``Make SWAPs Efficient Act of 2025'' or the ``Make State Wildlife Action Plans Efficient Act of 2025''. SEC. 2. TIMING OF APPROVAL OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION PROGRAM.

Section 4(e)(3) of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669c(e)(3)) is amended--

(1) by inserting ``, not later than 180 days after the date on which the State submitted the comprehensive plan,'' after ``, the Secretary'';

(2) by striking ``, as redesignated'';

(3) by striking ``If the Secretary'' and inserting ``(A) If the Secretary''; and

(4) by adding at the end the following:

``(B) Upon submission of a comprehensive plan by a State under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall conditionally authorize the implementation of the wildlife conservation and restoration program of the State and shall set aside amounts as described in subparagraph (A).

``(C) The Secretary, in consultation with the States, shall develop a process to ensure sufficient and timely review of comprehensive plans submitted by States under paragraph (1) and final approval of the wildlife conservation and restoration program of such States not later than 180 days after the date on which a State submits such a comprehensive plan.

``(D) It is the intent of Congress that the Secretary prioritize the--

``(i) timely review of comprehensive plans submitted by States under paragraph (1); and

``(ii) approval of the wildlife conservation and restoration programs of such States.

``(E) Not later than June 1 of the year immediately following the year in which a State submits a comprehensive plan under paragraph (1), if the Secretary does not approve the wildlife conservation and restoration program of the State under subparagraph (A) within the time described in that subparagraph, the Secretary shall submit to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Environment and Public Works Committee of the Senate a report regarding the status of such comprehensive plan and including the reason why the wildlife conservation and restoration program was not so approved.''.

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Mr. CRANK. 1676, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1676, the Make SWAPs Efficient Act of 2025, sponsored by Representative Donalds from Florida.

This bill advances a goal shared by both House Republicans and the Trump administration to promote government efficiency by holding the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service accountable when reviewing State Wildlife Action Plans, or SWAPs.

SWAPs serve as blueprints for identifying each State's and territory's unique conservation needs. By law, States must have an updated SWAP to receive funding through the State Wildlife Grants program, and SWAPs must be updated every 10 years.

The SWAPs of 44 States, the District of Columbia, and three territories are up for renewal in 2025. In the past, the approval process for SWAPs has taken as long as 18 months due to bureaucratic delays at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Last year, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service entered into a memorandum of understanding to simplify the review process for these plans. This bill is intended to complement that work by directing the Secretary of the Interior to approve SWAPs within 180 days of submission.

I commend Representative Donalds for his continued leadership, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1676.
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Mr. CRANK. Mr. Speaker, this bill will help make the Federal Government more efficient and ensure our conservation programs work as they were intended.

Once again, I thank Mr. Donalds for his diligent work and attention to this issue. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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Mr. CRANK. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

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