Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Complex Expansion and Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Expansion Act
Public Law 108-23 · H.R. 289 · 108th Congress · began in the House
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on May 19, 2003 · Public Lands and Natural Resources
Sponsor: Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-9)
Cosponsors (1): Rep. John Dingell
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Complex Expansion and Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Expansion Act - (Sec. 4) Expands the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Complex to include specified land and water in the State of Ohio. Permits the Secretary of the Interior to acquire by donation, purchase, or exchange the land and water and interests in land and water within the boundaries of the Complex.
Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, to study and report to Congress on fish and wildlife habitat and aquatic and terrestrial communities in and around two specified dredge spoil disposal sites in Toledo Harbor.
(Sec. 5) Expands the southern boundary of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge (the Refuge) to include additional land and water located in the State of Michigan east of Interstate Route 75.
(Sec. 6) Prescribes requirements for administration of the Complex. Directs the Secretary to administer all Federally owned land, water, and interests in land and water that are located within the boundaries of the Complex in accordance with this Act and the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966.
States that the Complex shall be managed to strengthen and complement existing resource management, conservation, and education programs and activities in order to facilitate: (1) the provision of major resting, feeding, and wintering habits for migratory birds and other wildlife; and (2) the enhancement of national resource conservation and management in the western basin. States other purposes for which the Complex shall be managed, including to protect and restore the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Great Lakes basin ecosystem.
Directs the Secretary to ensure that hunting, trapping, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and environmental education and interpretation shall be the priority public uses of the Complex.
(Sec. 7) Authorizes appropriations.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Natural Resources Committee · House · referred toSubcommittee: Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
S. 248Related bill
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Complex Expansion and Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Expansion Act
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 18 actions.
- May 19, 2003Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 108-23.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- May 9, 2003FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- May 5, 2003FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- May 1, 2003FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Apr 9, 2003CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 67.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Environment and Public Works. Reported by Senator Inhofe without amendment. Without written report.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Environment and Public Works. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
- Apr 2, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
- Apr 1, 2003FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 289.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Renzi moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Feb 12, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Executive Comment Requested from Interior.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans.
- Jan 8, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Resources.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.