# 115-hr-3979: Keep America's Refuges Operational Act

115-hr-3979, Keep America's Refuges Operational Act, is a 115th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Jeffries, Hakeem S. [D-NY-8] (D-NY); status Became Public Law No: 115-168. (as of 2025-11-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/115-hr-3979
- As of: 2025-11-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 115-hr-3979
- Congress: 115
- Title: Keep America's Refuges Operational Act
- Status: Became Public Law No: 115-168.
- Introduced: 2017-10-05
- Sponsor: Rep. Jeffries, Hakeem S. [D-NY-8] (D-NY)
- Cosponsors: 17
- Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-11-18

## Summary

Keep America's Refuges Operational Act This bill amends the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 to reauthorize through FY2022: (1) the volunteer services, community partnerships, and national wildlife refuge education programs of the National Wildlife Refuge System; and (2) provisions authorizing the Department of the Interior to accept and use gifts, devises, or bequests of real and personal property for the benefit of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the performance of its activities and services. The bill eliminates the prohibition on the use for the operation or administration of any nonfederal entity of any federal funds that are used for a project or program for a national wildlife refuge or a complex of geographically related refuges under a cooperative agreement between Interior and a partner organization, academic institution, state or local government agency, or other person under the community partnerships program.

## Cosponsors (17)

- Rep. Wittman, Robert J. [R-VA-1] (R-VA), 2017-10-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Grijalva, Raúl M. [D-AZ-7] (D-AZ), 2017-10-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Graves, Garret [R-LA-6] (R-LA), 2017-10-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Sablan, Gregorio Kilili Camacho [D-MP-At Large] (D-MP), 2017-10-05T00:00:00.000Z
- FRANK LOBIONDO (R-NJ), 2017-10-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thompson, Mike [D-CA-4] (D-CA), 2017-10-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kind, Ron [D-WI-3] (D-WI), 2017-10-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Westerman, Bruce [R-AR-4] (R-AR), 2017-10-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Radewagen, Aumua Amata Coleman [R-AS-At Large] (R-AS), 2017-10-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Collins, Doug [R-GA-9] (R-GA), 2017-11-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tipton, Scott R. [R-CO-3] (R-CO), 2017-11-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pearce, Stevan [R-NM-2] (R-NM), 2017-11-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gosar, Paul A. [R-AZ-9] (R-AZ), 2017-11-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Johnson, Mike [R-LA-4] (R-LA), 2017-11-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hice, Jody B. [R-GA-10] (R-GA), 2017-11-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Curbelo, Carlos [R-FL-26] (R-FL), 2017-11-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Bordallo, Madeleine Z. [D-GU-At Large] (D-GU), 2017-11-29T00:00:00.000Z

## Related bills

- 115-hr-2519: The American Legion 100th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act
- 115-hr-5499: Stephen Michael Gleason Congressional Gold Medal Act
- 115-hr-4107: USS Indianapolis Congressional Gold Medal Act
- 115-hr-299: Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2018
- 115-hr-6510: Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act
- 115-hr-4099: To amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that children of homeless veterans are included in the calculation of the amounts of certain per diem grants.

## Sources
- [115-hr-3979 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/3979)

## Related
- [115-hr-2519: The American Legion 100th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/115-hr-2519)
- [115-hr-5499: Stephen Michael Gleason Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/115-hr-5499)
- [115-hr-4107: USS Indianapolis Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/115-hr-4107)
- [115-hr-299: Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2018](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/115-hr-299)
- [115-hr-6510: Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/115-hr-6510)
- [115-hr-4099: To amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that children of homeless vete…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/115-hr-4099)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/115-hr-3979 (as of 2025-11-18).