Skip to main content
S 1940 115th Congress Senate Public Lands and Natural Resources Department of the Interior Executive agency funding and structure Public-private cooperation Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Keep America's Refuges Operational Act

Introduced: October 5, 2017 See on congress.gov
This bill died when the 115th Congress ended
It never became law before the 115th Congress (2017–2018) 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 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Oct 5, 2017
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Oct 5, 2017
Introduced in Senate
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Keep America's Refuges Operational Act

This bill amends the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 to reauthorize through FY2022: (1) the volunteer services, community partnerships, and national wildlife refuge education programs of the National Wildlife Refuge System; and (2) provisions authorizing the Department of the Interior to accept and use gifts, devises, or bequests of real and personal property for the benefit of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the performance of its activities and services.

The bill eliminates the prohibition on the use for the operation or administration of any nonfederal entity of any federal funds that are used for a project or program for a national wildlife refuge or a complex of geographically related refuges under a cooperative agreement between Interior and a partner organization, academic institution, state or local government agency, or other person under the community partnerships program.

What's happening now October 5, 2017

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 1940: Keep America's Refuges Operational Act. 115th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/115-S-1940/
MLA
"S. 1940: Keep America's Refuges Operational Act." 115th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/115-S-1940/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 1940, 115th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/115-S-1940/.
Markdown link
[S. 1940: Keep America's Refuges Operational Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/115-S-1940/)
Report a problem