# Plain Language Summary: Recovering America's Wildlife Act of 2024

This bill creates a new funding program to help states protect and recover wildlife species that are struggling or at risk of becoming endangered. The federal government will put hundreds of millions of dollars into a special fund each year—starting with $850 million in 2025 and growing to $1.3 billion by 2028—that states can use for wildlife conservation projects. The money goes to state fish and wildlife agencies, which decide how to spend it based on which animals and plants in their state need the most help. This includes everything from habitat restoration and disease prevention to helping species that are already listed as endangered or threatened under federal law.

The bill is designed to prevent wildlife from disappearing in the first place, rather than waiting until species are already endangered and require expensive emergency recovery efforts. States can use the funds for a wide range of activities: protecting and restoring habitats, managing invasive species, conducting wildlife research, and even education programs in communities that haven't had much access to outdoor recreation. About 10 percent of the money will go to competitive grants for innovative projects that show promise in recovering struggling species, while the rest is distributed to states based on their size, population, and how many endangered species they have.

One important feature is that at least 15 percent of each state's funding must go toward recovering species that are already listed as endangered or threatened. The bill also makes it easier for states to find matching funds by allowing them to count donations of private land and other federal agency contributions, which removes a barrier that sometimes prevented states from accessing wildlife funding in the past. Additionally, the bill includes special provisions to ensure that territories like Puerto Rico and Guam receive adequate funding for their unique wildlife conservation needs.