(a) Creation of Trust Fund

There is hereby established in the Treasury of the United States a trust fund to be known as the “Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund”. Such Trust Fund shall consist of such amounts as may be appropriated, credited, or paid to it as provided in this section, section 9503(c)(3), section 9503(c)(4), or section 9602(b).

(b) Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund

(1) Transfer of certain taxes to Trust Fund

There is hereby appropriated to the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund amounts equivalent to the following amounts received in the Treasury on or after October 1, 1984—

(A) the taxes imposed by section 4161(a) (relating to sport fishing equipment), and

(B) the import duties imposed on fishing tackle under heading 9507 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (19 U.S.C. 1202) and on yachts and pleasure craft under chapter 89 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States.

(2) Expenditures from Trust Fund

Amounts in the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund shall be available, as provided by appropriation Acts, for making expenditures—

(A) to carry out the purposes of the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act (as in effect on the date of the enactment of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act),

(B) to carry out the purposes of section 7404(d) of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (as in effect on the date of the enactment of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act), and

(C) to carry out the purposes of the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (as in effect on the date of the enactment of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act).


Amounts transferred to such account under section 9503(c)(4) may be used only for making expenditures described in subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.

(c) Expenditures from Boat Safety Account

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Terms Used In 26 USC 9504

  • Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Legacy: A gift of property made by will.
  • United States: when used in a geographical sense includes only the States and the District of Columbia. See 26 USC 7701

Amounts remaining in the Boat Safety Account on October 1, 2005, and amounts thereafter credited to the Account under section 9602(b), shall be available, without further appropriation, for making expenditures before October 1, 2010, to carry out the purposes of section 15 1 of the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act (as in effect on the date of the enactment of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users). For purposes of section 9602, the Boat Safety Account shall be treated as a Trust Fund established by this subchapter.

(d) Limitation on transfers to Trust Fund

(1) In general

Except as provided in paragraph (2), no amount may be appropriated or paid to the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund on and after the date of any expenditure from such Trust Fund which is not permitted by this section. The determination of whether an expenditure is so permitted shall be made without regard to—

(A) any provision of law which is not contained or referenced in this title or in a revenue Act, and

(B) whether such provision of law is a subsequently enacted provision or directly or indirectly seeks to waive the application of this subsection.

(2) Exception for prior obligations

Paragraph (1) shall not apply to any expenditure to liquidate any contract entered into (or for any amount otherwise obligated) before October 1, 2026, in accordance with the provisions of this section.

(e) Cross reference

For provision transferring motorboat fuels taxes to Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, see section 9503(c)(3).