H.R. 7408, the America's Wildlife Habitat Conservation Act, restructures federal funding for state, tribal, and private wildlife conservation efforts, primarily by amending the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act. It creates a new Wildlife Habitat Conservation and Restoration Subaccount, authorizing up to $300 million annually from 2025 through 2029, which state and territorial wildlife agencies can use to restore habitat for species at risk of or already listed under the Endangered Species Act, with at least 15 percent of funds required to go toward endangered species recovery. The bill also establishes a separate $20 million annual fund for tribal wildlife conservation through 2029, expands "good neighbor" contracting authority allowing states, tribes, and counties to perform habitat restoration work on national wildlife refuge lands, and creates new tools like Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances to encourage private landowners to protect at-risk species without fear of future regulatory burdens. Additional provisions limit designation of critical habitat on privately managed conservation lands, restrict public disclosure of sensitive species location data, and reduce certain environmental consultation requirements when agencies update land management plans. The bill also rescinds unspent Inflation Reduction Act climate funding and repeals a few older conservation program authorizations, and requires GAO reporting within five years to assess the law's effectiveness.
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