text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Endangered Species Community 
  Advisory Board Act of 1995''.
  
  SEC. 2. AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARDS UNDER 
                ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT OF 1973.
  
      The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) is 
  amended by adding at the end the following new section:
  
                        ``community advisory boards
  
      ``Sec. 19. (a) Establishment.--(1) The Secretary shall establish an 
  Endangered Species Community Advisory Board (in this section referred 
  to as a `community advisory board') in connection with the designation 
  of an area under this Act as critical habitat or as a National Wildlife 
  Refuge.
      ``(2) Each community advisory board--
              ``(A) shall be comprised of 12 members appointed by the 
          Secretary from among individuals recommended by the Governor of 
          the State in which is located the area for which the advisory 
          board is established; and
              ``(B) shall have as its chairperson a member of the 
          advisory board who is an elected official of a local government 
          in that area and who is designated as chairperson by the 
          Secretary.
      ``(3) The term of a member of a community advisory board shall be 4 
  years, except that of the members first appointed--
              ``(A) 3 shall be appointed for an initial term of 1 year;
              ``(B) 3 shall be appointed for an initial term of 2 years; 
          and
              ``(C) 3 shall be appointed for an initial term of 3 years;
  as specified by the Secretary at the time of appointment.
      ``(4) Individuals who are Federal employees may not comprise a 
  majority of the total number of members of a community advisory board.
      ``(5) The Secretary shall prescribe regulations regarding the 
  establishment, characteristics, composition, and funding of community 
  advisory boards. However, the issuance of regulations shall not be a 
  precondition to the establishment of a community advisory board or 
  affect the existence or operation of a community advisory board 
  established before the effective date of this section.
      ``(6) The Secretary may provide for the payment of routine 
  administrative expenses of a community advisory board established for 
  an area from funds available for activities relating to study of the 
  area to determine whether to designate the area as critical habitat or 
  as a National Wildlife Refuge.
      ``(b) Assistance for Citizen Participation.--(1) Subject to the 
  availability of appropriations, the Secretary shall make available 
  funds to facilitate the participation of individuals from the private 
  sector on community advisory boards for the purpose of ensuring public 
  input into the designation of areas as critical habitat or National 
  Wildlife Refuges.
      ``(2) The private individuals who are members of a community 
  advisory board are eligible for funding assistance under this 
  subsection only if they reside in the vicinity of the area for which 
  the community advisory board is established. For accounting and 
  financial management purposes, such funds shall be paid to and 
  administered by the community advisory board on which the private 
  individuals are members, subject to paragraph (3).
      ``(3) Individuals who are local community members of a community 
  advisory board may use funds made available under this paragraph only--
              ``(A) to obtain technical assistance of experts in 
          interpreting scientific data, material, and issues regarding 
          protection of endangered species; and
              ``(B) to educate the local community in understanding such 
          data, material, and issues.
      ``(c) Consultation by Secretary.--If a community advisory board is 
  established for an area, the Secretary, before designating any of the 
  area under this Act as critical habitat or as a National Wildlife 
  Refuge, shall--
              ``(1) consult with and seek the advice and recommendations 
          of the board regarding--
                      ``(A) identifying the needs and concerns of the 
                  affected local community and individual landowners;
                      ``(B) monitoring scientific studies and surveys 
                  used to determine the need for designation of the area 
                  as critical habitat or a National Wildlife Refuge, 
                  before that designation; and
                      ``(C) addressing land use strategies and 
                  management; and
              ``(2) publish recommendations received from the board 
          within 180 days after the date the Secretary initiates 
          consultation under paragraph (1).
      ``(d) Monitoring and Reporting by Community Advisory Boards.--Each 
  community advisory board shall, with respect to critical habitat or a 
  National Wildlife Refuge for which it was established--
              ``(1) monitor and periodically report to the Secretary on 
          progress made in the conservation and recovery of species for 
          which that critical habitat or Refuge was designated; and
              ``(2) periodically review and report to the Secretary 
          regarding the continued accuracy and sufficiency of the 
          scientific findings that were the basis of that designation.
      ``(e) State Defined.--Notwithstanding section 3(17), in this 
  section the term `State' means any of the several States, the District 
  of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the 
  Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
  Islands.''.
target: Endangered Species Community Advisory Board Act of 1995 - Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish an Endangered Species Community Advisory Board in connection with the designation of an area under the Act as critical habitat or as a National Wildlife Refuge. 
  Allows the Secretary, subject to the availability of appropriations, to make funds available to facilitate the participation of individuals from the private sector on such Boards to ensure public input into the designation of such areas or Refuges. 
  Requires the Board to:  (1)  monitor and periodically report to the Secretary on progress made in the conservation and recovery of species for which the critical habitat or Refuge was designated; and (2) periodically review and report to the Secretary regarding the continued accuracy and sufficiency of the scientific findings that were the basis of such designation.
feat_title: Endangered Species Community Advisory Board Act of 1995