Title 16 — ConservationRelease 119-73
§669b Authorization of appropriations
Title 16 › Chapter CHAPTER 5B— - WILDLIFE RESTORATION › § 669b
Summary
All yearly money collected from certain taxes on specific products under sections 4161(b) and 4181 of title 26 — after any exemptions in section 4182 — must go into the Federal aid to wildlife restoration fund. That money can be appropriated and used to carry out the chapter and any state share that is not spent by the end of a fiscal year stays available to spend into the next fiscal year. The Treasury must invest parts of the fund that are not needed for current withdrawals in U.S. government bonds and may buy or sell those bonds. Interest earned is added back to the fund, set aside for allocation under section 4407, and becomes available for apportionment at the start of fiscal year 2033. A subaccount called the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Account was created, and $50,000,000 was authorized for fiscal year 2001. Money moved into the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Account must add to, not replace, other sport-fish and wildlife funds. States and Indian tribes may use these funds to plan, update, and run wildlife conservation and restoration programs, including education and wildlife-related recreation, and for new or existing projects. Priority goes to species the State identifies as having the greatest conservation need, and amounts apportioned to a State that remain unspent at year end may be obligated there until the end of the second succeeding fiscal year.
Full Legal Text
Title 16, §669b
Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)(1)An amount equal to all revenues accruing each fiscal year (beginning with the fiscal year 1975) from any tax imposed on specified articles by section 4161(b) and 4181 of title 26, shall, subject to the exemptions in section 4182 of such title, be covered into the Federal aid to wildlife restoration fund in the Treasury (hereinafter referred to as the “fund”) and is authorized to be appropriated and made available until expended to carry out the purposes of this chapter. So much of such appropriations apportioned to any State for any fiscal year as remains unexpended at the close thereof is authorized to be made available for expenditure in that State until the close of the succeeding fiscal year. Any amount apportioned to any State under the provisions of this chapter which is unexpended or unobligated at the end of the period during which it is available for expenditure on any project is authorized to be made available for expenditure by the Secretary of the Interior in carrying out the provisions of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act [16 U.S.C. 715 et seq.].
(2)There is established in the Federal aid to wildlife restoration fund a subaccount to be known as the “Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Account”. There are authorized to be appropriated for the purposes of the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Account $50,000,000 in fiscal year 2001 for apportionment in accordance with this chapter to carry out State wildlife conservation and restoration programs. Further, interest on amounts transferred shall be treated in a manner consistent with 16 U.S.C. 669(b)(1)).11 So in original. Probably should be “paragraph (1) of subsection (b)”.
(b)(1)The Secretary of the Treasury shall invest in interest-bearing obligations of the United States such portion of the fund as is not, in his judgment, required for meeting a current year’s withdrawals. For purposes of such investment, the Secretary of the Treasury may—
(A)acquire obligations at the issue price and purchase outstanding obligations at the market price; and
(B)sell obligations held in the fund at the market price.
(2)The interest on obligations held in the fund—
(A)shall be credited to the fund;
(B)constitute the sums available for allocation by the Secretary under section 4407 of this title; and
(C)shall become available for apportionment under this chapter at the beginning of fiscal year 2033.
(c)(1)Amounts transferred to the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Account shall supplement, but not replace, existing funds available to the States from the sport fish restoration account and wildlife restoration account and shall be used for the development, revision, and implementation of wildlife conservation and restoration programs and should be used to address the unmet needs for a diverse array of wildlife and associated habitats, including species that are not hunted or fished, for wildlife conservation, wildlife conservation education, and wildlife-associated recreation projects. Such funds may be used for new programs and projects as well as to enhance existing programs and projects.
(2)Funds may be used by a State or an Indian tribe for the planning and implementation of its wildlife conservation and restoration program and wildlife conservation strategy, as provided in section 669c(d) and (e) of this title, including wildlife conservation, wildlife conservation education, and wildlife-associated recreation projects. Such funds may be used for new programs and projects as well as to enhance existing programs and projects.
(3)Priority for funding from the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Account shall be for those species with the greatest conservation need as defined by the State wildlife conservation and restoration program.
(d)Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b) of this section, with respect to amounts transferred to the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Account, so much of such amounts apportioned to any State for any fiscal year as remains unexpended at the close thereof shall remain available for obligation in that State until the close of the second succeeding fiscal year.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
The Migratory Bird Conservation Act, referred to in subsec. (a), is act Feb. 18, 1929, ch. 257, 45 Stat. 1222, which is classified generally to subchapter III (§ 715 et seq.) of chapter 7 of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 715 of this title and Tables.
Amendments
2025—Subsec. (b)(2)(C). Pub. L. 119–40 substituted “2033” for “2026”. 2015—Subsec. (b)(2)(C). Pub. L. 114–113 substituted “2026” for “2016”. 2005—Subsec. (b)(2)(C). Pub. L. 109–75 substituted “2016” for “2006”. 2000—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 106–553, § 1(a)(2) [title IX, § 902(d)(1)], designated existing provisions as par. (1) and added par. (2). Subsecs. (c), (d). Pub. L. 106–553, § 1(a)(2) [title IX, § 902(d)(2)], added subsecs. (c) and (d). 1989—Pub. L. 101–233 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a) and added subsec. (b). 1986—Pub. L. 99–514 substituted “Internal Revenue Code of 1986” for “Internal Revenue Code of 1954”, which for purposes of codification was translated as “title 26” thus requiring no change in text. 1972—Pub. L. 92–558 substituted “(beginning with the fiscal year 1975)” for “(beginning with the fiscal year 1971)” and inserted reference to section 4161(b) of title 26. 1970—Pub. L. 91–503 inserted provisions for the deposit of the 10 per cent tax on pistols and revolvers under section 4181 of title 26 into the Federal aid to wildlife restoration fund beginning in fiscal year 1971.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1989 Amendment Pub. L. 101–233, § 7(a)(3), Dec. 13, 1989, 103 Stat. 1975, provided that: “The
Amendments
made by this subsection of this Act [amending this section and section 669c of this title] take effect October 1, 1989.”
Effective Date
of 1972 Amendment Pub. L. 92–558, title I, § 101(c), Oct. 25, 1972, 86 Stat. 1172, as amended by Pub. L. 93–313, June 8, 1974, 88 Stat. 238, provided that: “The
Amendments
made by subsections (a) and (b) [amending this section and section 669c of this title] of this section shall take effect January 1, 1975.”
Executive Documents
Transfer of Functions
Reorg. Plan No. II of 1939, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, transferred functions of Secretary of Agriculture relating to conservation of wildlife, game, and migratory birds to Secretary of the Interior.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
16 U.S.C. § 669b
Title 16 — Conservation
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73