,,ii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #ccjd ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,february #ac1 #bjbj,mr4 ,merkley 7for himself1 ,ms4 ,harris1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,mr4 ,whitehouse1 and ,mr4 ,wyden7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,environment and ,public ,works ,a ,,bill ,to encourage and facilitate efforts by ,states and other stakeholders to conserve and sustain the western population of monarch butterflies1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,monarch ,action1 ,recovery1 and ,conservation of ,habitat ,act of #bjbj or the ,,monarch ,act of #bjbj4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds that-- 7#a7 the population of western monarch butterflies is at imminent risk of extinction2 7#b7 over the past #c decades1 the population of western monarch butterflies has declined by more than #ii percent due to prolonged drought1 loss of milkweed and native pollinator habitat1 loss of breeding and overwintering habitat1 and climate change2 7#c7 in #bjai1 the population of western monarch butterflies maintained a historic low of approximately #bi1jjj butterflies1 falling below the predicted extinction threshold2 7#d7 the extinction of the population of migratory western monarch butterflies is now likely to occur within the next #b decades if urgent action is not taken2 7#e7 actively restoring native milkweed and nectar plants1 monarch overwintering habitat1 and other pollinator habitat1 and ensuring that key habitats are protected from destruction1 are critical to ensuring the survival of western monarch butterflies and can also help facilitate conservation of other essential pollinators2 and 7#f7 enhancing pollinator populations can result in improved pollination services for neighboring land1 including agriculture and wildlife ecosystems4 #c4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,conservation ,the term conservation means the use of each method or procedure necessary to protect habitats of western monarch butterflies1 including-- 7,a7 the protection1 restoration1 and management of overwintering1 breeding1 and migratory habitats2 7,b7 assistance in the development and implementation of national1 regional1 ,state1 and local conservation and management plans2 and 7,c7 community outreach and education4 7#b7 ,fund ,the term ,fund means the ,western ,monarch ,butterfly ,rescue ,fund established by section #e7;a74 7#c7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of the ,interior4 7#d7 ,western monarch butterfly ,the term western monarch butterfly means the monarch butterfly population that overwinters along the coast of the ,state of ,california and breeds across the ,states of ,california1 ,arizona1 ,nevada1 ,washington1 ,oregon1 ,idaho1 and ,utah4 #d4 ,western monarch butterfly conservation grant program 7a7 ,in general ,subject to the availability of funds and in consultation with other ,federal officials1 the ,secretary of ,agriculture 7referred to in this section as the ,secretary7 shall use amounts in the ,fund to provide grants for projects for the conservation of western monarch butterflies for which project proposals are approved by the ,secretary in accordance with this section4 7b7 ,project proposals 7#a7 ,eligible entities ,an entity that is eligible to receive a grant for a project under this section is-- 7,a7 a relevant local or ,tribal government agency1 research institution1 or nonprofit organization with expertise required for the conservation of western monarch butterflies2 and 7,b7 any other entity1 as determined appropriate by the ,secretary1 with the expertise required for the conservation of western monarch butterflies4 7#b7 ,federal partnership opportunities ,a ,state or ,federal agency-- 7,a7 may not be a lead entity or receive a grant for a project under this section2 but 7,b7 may be included as a partner or collaborator on a project that receives a grant under this section4 7#c7 ,required elements ,a proposal for a project under this section shall include-- 7,a7 a statement of the purposes of the project2 7,b7 the name of the entity with overall responsibility for the project2 7,c7 a description of-- 7i7 the qualifications of the entity that will conduct the project2 7ii7 methods for project implementation and outcome assessment2 and 7iii7 anticipated outcomes2 7,d7 assurances that the project will be implemented in consultation with relevant wildlife management authorities1 ,indian ,tribes1 and other appropriate local government1 ,state government1 and ,federal ,government officials2 7,e7 assurances that the conservation efforts outlined in the proposal do not conflict with food safety measures or practices2 7,f7 information that demonstrates the clear potential of the project to contribute to the conservation and recovery of western monarch butterflies2 and 7,g7 such other information as the ,secretary may require4 7c7 ,project review and approval ,the ,secretary shall annually-- 7#a7 solicit project proposals for funding under this section2 and 7#b7 review each proposal described in paragraph 7#a7 on a timeline that recognizes the urgency of the declining number of western monarch butterflies to determine whether the proposal meets the criteria specified in subsection 7d74 7d7 ,criteria for approval ,the ,secretary may approve a project proposal under this section if the proposal demonstrates a likelihood that the project will contribute to the conservation of western monarch butterfly populations in the wild4 7e7 ,technical assistance ,the ,secretary shall provide technical assistance for a project that receives a grant under this section4 7f7 ,project reporting 7#a7 ,in general ,each entity that receives a grant for a project under this section shall submit to the ,secretary1 at such intervals as the ,secretary may require1 reports that include any information that the ,secretary determines is necessary to evaluate the progress and success of the project for the purposes of ensuring positive results1 assessing problems1 and fostering improvements4 7#b7 ,availability to ,state legislatures ,each entity that receives a grant for a project under this section shall submit each report under paragraph 7#a7 to the ,state legislature of the ,state in which the project is conducted4 7#c7 ,availability to the public ,the ,secretary shall make available to the public1 in a timely manner-- 7,a7 each report submitted under paragraph 7#a72 and 7,b7 any other documents relating to projects for which a grant is provided under this section4 #e4 ,western ,monarch ,butterfly ,rescue ,fund 7a7 ,establishment ,there is established in the ,treasury of the ,united ,states a fund1 to be known as the ,western ,monarch ,butterfly ,rescue ,fund4 7b7 ,administrative expenses ,of the amounts available in the ,fund for each fiscal year1 the ,secretary may expend not more than #c percent to pay the administrative expenses necessary to carry out this ,act4 7c7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,fund #ab1ejj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjba through #bjbe4 #f4 ,implementation of the western monarch butterfly conservation plan ,of amounts available to the ,secretary that are not otherwise obligated1 the ,secretary shall transfer to the ,national ,fish and ,wildlife ,foundation #ab1ejj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjba through #bjbe to facilitate the implementation of the ,western ,monarch ,butterfly ,conservation ,plan prepared by the ,western ,association of ,fish and ,wildlife ,agencies and dated ,january #bjai4 #g4 ,report to ,congress 7a7 ,in general ,not later than ,january #ca of each year1 the ,secretary shall submit to ,congress a report describing the status of western monarch butterflies1 including1 with respect to the year for which the report is submitted-- 7#a7 a summary of the projects for which the ,secretary of ,agriculture has provided funding under section #d and an evaluation of those projects2 and 7#b7 a summary of the projects for which the ,secretary has provided funding through the ,western ,monarch ,butterfly ,conservation ,plan prepared by the ,western ,association of ,fish and ,wildlife ,agencies and dated ,january #bjai4 7b7 ,provision of information by the ,department of the ,interior ,to facilitate the preparation of each report under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary of ,agriculture shall provide to the ,secretary information relating to projects described in paragraph 7#a7 of that subsection4