,i #aagth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ieja ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,december #ac1 #bjbb,ms4 ,del,bene 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,huffman1 ,mr4 ,larsen of ,washington1 ,mr4 ,bowman1 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,mr4 ,carson1 ,mr4 ,levin of ,michigan1 and ,ms4 ,tlaib7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,natural ,resources ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,secretary of the ,interior to establish a grant program to assist projects that use nonlethal coexistence measures to reduce property damage caused by beavers1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,developing ,alternative ,mitigation ,systems for ,beavers ,act or the ,,dams for ,beavers ,act4 #b4 ,beaver damage mitigation grant program 7a7 ,establishment ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall establish a grant program under which the ,secretary may award grants on a competitive basis to assist projects that use nonlethal coexistence measures to-- 7#a7 reduce property damage caused by beavers2 and 7#b7 maintain or enhance habitat for beavers and other wildlife4 7b7 ,eligibility ,to be eligible for a grant under the ,program1 an applicant shall submit to the ,secretary an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require1 which shall include the following3 7#a7 ,a description of the experience1 qualifications1 and training 7including planned training7 of the applicant with respect to the use of nonlethal coexistence measures4 7#b7 ,in the case of an application submitted by an applicant other than a ,state or ,tribal wildlife or natural resources management agency 7or equivalent71 a certification that the applicant has consulted with such an agency 7or equivalent74 7#c7 ,in the case of an application submitted by an applicant other than the owner of the property on which a relevant proposed project will be located1 a certification from such owner that such owner-- 7,a7 approves the project2 and 7,b7 for the duration of the project1 will only allow the use of nonlethal coexistence measures on the property for purposes of reducing property damage caused by beavers 7except in the case of a circumstance subject to an exclusion under subsection 7d77#b77;,a77i774 7c7 ,priority ,in awarding grants under the ,program1 the ,secretary may give priority to a project that-- 7#a7 includes monitoring and research that facilitates evaluation of the project and identification of best practices2 7#b7 includes educational and outreach activities2 7#c7 is located in an area that ensures grant recipients under the ,program represent diverse geographic areas2 and 7#d7 satisfies any other criteria the ,secretary determines relevant to effectively reducing damage to property and maintaining or enhancing habitat for beavers and other wildlife4 7d7 ,conditions 7#a7 ,in general ,as a condition of receiving a grant under the ,program1 for the duration of the project facilitated with grant funds a grant recipient may only use nonlethal coexistence measures for purposes of reducing property damage caused by beavers on the property on which the project will be carried out4 7#b7 ,exclusion 7,a7 ,in general ,paragraph 7#a7 shall not apply if the ,secretary determines that-- 7i7 an activity other than a nonlethal coexistence measure is necessary to protect human health or safety2 or 7ii7 the project assisted with grant funds has been implemented for not less than #a year and such project has not sufficiently reduced the damage caused by beavers4 7,b7 ,documentation ,the ,secretary shall maintain a record of each determination made under subparagraph 7,a74 7e7 ,federal share ,the ,federal share of the cost of a project for which a grant is awarded under the ,program may not exceed #ge percent4 7f7 ,annual report to ,congress ,not later than #ij days after the end of each fiscal year for which grants are awarded under the ,program1 the ,secretary shall submit to ,congress1 and make publicly available1 a report that includes-- 7#a7 a detailed description of the projects funded by grants under the ,program2 7#b7 an evaluation of the effectiveness of the ,program in selecting projects according to the priorities described in subsection 7c72 and 7#c7 recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the ,program4 7g7 ,definitions ,in this section1 the following definitions apply3 7#a7 ,nonlethal coexistence measure 7,a7 ,in general ,the term nonlethal coexistence measure means a measure that does not incorporate-- 7i7 the gripping1 trapping1 injuring1 or killing of a beaver2 7ii7 the destruction or removal of a beaver dam or lodge2 7iii7 the relocation of a beaver2 or 7iv7 the installation of beaver dam analogues4 7,b7 ,inclusions ,the term nonlethal coexistence measure may include fencing used to protect culverts1 fencing and paint-sand mixtures used to protect trees1 and flow management devices used to control water levels in beaver ponds4 7#b7 ,program ,the term ,program means the grant program established under subsection 7a74 7#c7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of the ,interior1 acting through the ,director of the ,united ,states ,fish and ,wildlife ,service4 7h7 ,authorization of appropriations 7#a7 ,in general ,there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section #a1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbc through #bjbg4 7#b7 ,limitation ,not more than #aj percent of the funds made available each fiscal year under paragraph 7#a7 may be used for administrative expenses of the ,program4