WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources has voted to advance the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act with a bipartisan 29-15 vote. 

“Right now, more than one-third of all wildlife species in the United States are at heightened risk of extinction—and demand immediate conservation action. The bipartisan Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is the most significant piece of wildlife legislation since the Endangered Species Act passed in 1973,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “Thanks to the incredible leadership of Rep. Debbie Dingell, Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, Rep. Jared Huffman, Chair Raul Grijalva, and more than 150 additional bipartisan cosponsors, this historic bill is making critical bipartisan progress in the House and is showing that even in these divided times, wildlife conservation can bring all Americans together.”

More information about the bill:

• The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act will provide nearly $1.4 billion in dedicated annual funding for proactive, collaborative efforts by the states and tribes to recover wildlife species at risk. 
• At least 15 percent of the resources would be used to recover species listed as threatened or endangered. 
• The state agencies have identified 12,000 species of wildlife and plants in need of conservation assistance in their federally-approved State Wildlife Action Plans. These plans would guide spending from the bill. 
•  Tribal Nations would receive $97.5 million annually to fund proactive wildlife conservation efforts on the tens of millions of acres of land they manage. Many Tribal Nations have pioneered wildlife conservation efforts for decades without a consistent source of funding.