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HR 4948 101th Congress House

National Wildlife Refuge System Act of 1990

Official title: To amend the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 to improve management of the National Wildlife Refuge System, and for other purposes.

Introduced: July 31, 1990 See on congress.gov
Public Lands and Natural Resources Congressional reporting requirementsManagementPlanningWildlife refuges
This bill died when the 101st Congress ended
It never became law before the 101st Congress (1989–1990) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 5 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jun 21, 1990
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Jun 5, 1990
Referred to the Subcommittee on Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation and the Environment.
Jun 5, 1990
Executive Comment Requested from Interior.
May 24, 1990
Referred to the House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries.
May 24, 1990
Introduced in House
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 Latest action June 21, 1990

Subcommittee Hearings Held.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

National Wildlife Refuge System Act of 1990 - Amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 to require the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to issue regulations governing the manner of finding whether an existing or proposed new use in a refuge is compatible or incompatible with the established purposes of such refuge.

Directs the Secretary to prepare and revise at least once every ten years a comprehensive plan governing the administration of the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Requires the Director to: (1) review, within two years of enactment of this Act, cooperative agreements and memoranda of understanding governing refuges not under the primary jurisdiction of the Service; and (2) negotiate modification of terms and conditions with the appropriate agencies, if needed, to achieve the purposes for which the refuges were established.

Directs the Secretary to identify and discontinue incompatible and harmful uses of refuges that do not meet established refuge purposes.

Requires annual reports to specified congressional committees, together with one special report, a year after enactment, on: (1) the usefulness of comprehensive planning for individual refuges; (2) the extent to which inappropriate uses have occurred on refuges because of insufficiently clear or comprehensible purposes; and (3) the role of the System in maintaining biological diversity in the United States.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 4948: National Wildlife Refuge System Act of 1990. 101st Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/101-HR-4948/
MLA
"H.R. 4948: National Wildlife Refuge System Act of 1990." 101st Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/101-HR-4948/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 4948, 101st Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/101-HR-4948/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 4948: National Wildlife Refuge System Act of 1990](https://openamerica.io/bill/101-HR-4948/)
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