§669h–1 Firearm and Bow Hunter Education and Safety Program Grants

Summary

The law directs the Secretary of the Interior to set aside and divide $7,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2001 and 2002, and $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2003 and every year after, among the States as described in another part of the law. If a State has not spent all the money it got under the main apportionment for that year, the grants from this set must be used to improve hunter education and shooting safety, build better coordination and programs across States, improve bow hunting and archery programs, build or upgrade firearm and archery ranges and their safety features, and help recruit hunters and recreational shooters. If a State already used all its main apportionment for the year, it may spend these grants on any program allowed by the chapter, including hunter safety and building, running, and maintaining public target ranges. A State may also choose to move up to 10 percent of another apportionment to combine with these funds to buy or build a public target range. The federal share of any grant is normally no more than 75 percent of the project cost. For buying land or expanding or building a public target range, the federal share may be up to 90 percent. Most grant money must be spent in the fiscal year it is given, except money for buying or building ranges stays available for five fiscal years starting October 1 of the first year. Any unused amounts after that period will be reallocated among the States that had used all their main apportionment funds for use under the chapter.