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(10/30/06) Caucus Efforts Promote Wildlife Conservation on Private Land - Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus member and Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman James Inhofe (R-OK) introduced legislation in the 109th Congress to authorize the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program. S. 260, the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Act, codifies the highly successful program administered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and created by executive order in 1987 that provides matching grants for private landowners to restore fish and wildlife habitat on their own lands.
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(10/30/06) Sportsmen’s Caucus Leads Wetlands Conservation Bill to Passage - In June, Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus member and House Resources Chairman Richard Pombo (R-CA) introduced a bill to reauthorize the 17-year-old North American Wetlands Conservation Act. The program issues grants through the US Fish and Wildlife Service while conservation groups and private businesses provide matching funds aimed at protecting, restoring and enhancing wetlands and other habitat for birds, fish and wildlife. Since first signed in 1989, NAWCA grants have spurred more than 2,000 partners to work on 1,100 projects, restoring 22 million acres of wetlands.
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(10/30/06) Great Lakes Wildlife to Benefit From Caucus-Led Conservation Measure - Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus members Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH) and Congressman Dale Kildee (D-MI) each introduced versions of the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act of 2006 this year, seeking to reauthorize a program that provides an excellent opportunity to accelerate on-the-ground habitat conservation in the Great Lakes watershed.
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(7/14/06) Sportsmen Request Help from Congress to Restore Great Lakes Wildlife - This week, 11 sportsmen’s and conservation groups sent a letter to House Committee on Resources leadership requesting their support for the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act of 2006, H.R. 4953. The reauthorization of the program provides an excellent opportunity to accelerate on-the-ground habitat conservation in the Great Lakes watershed.
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(6/23/06) Forty-One Conservation Organizations Write Congress to Support NAWCA - Recently, 41 conservation organizations sent a letter to Capitol Hill in support of H.R. 5539, a bipartisan bill to reauthorize the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. This effort, coordinated by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, collectively represents millions of hunters, anglers, natural resource professionals and others who share a strong interest in traditional conservation values and America’s fish and wildlife resources.
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(5/5/06) Interior Spending Reduced in Subcommittee’s Appropriations Bill - On Thursday, the House Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee released the Department of Interior appropriations for FY 2007 that reflected spending cuts along the lines of those proposed by the Administration. The subcommittee recommended $9.65 billion for the Department, a $211 million reduction from last year, but $40 million above the President’s request.
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(5/5/06) Agriculture Appropriations Move Out of Subcommittee - On Wednesday, the House Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies released their recommendation of $76 billion for FY 2007 funding.
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(3/10/06) Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Likely to be Introduced in the House This Month - Caucus members and House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo (R-CA) and Fisheries Subcommittee Chairman Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) are working to introduce a House bill that would reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Act. The Magnuson-Stevens Act governs the management of the ocean fishery resources and the Senate version, S. 2012 introduced by Caucus member Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK), was reported out of the Senate Commerce Committee in December.
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(3/3/06) House Caucus Leadership Calls on Colleagues to Support E-Duck Stamp Bill - The House leadership of the Caucus sent a Dear Colleague letter to their fellow Congressmen on Wednesday urging them to join as co-sponsors on HR 1494, the “Electronic Duck Stamp Act of 2005.” The bill, introduced in 2005 by Caucus Vice-Chairman Congressman Ron Kind (D-WI) and former Caucus Co-Chairman Congressman Chip Pickering (R-MS), currently has 16 co-sponsors.
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 (3/3/06) CSF Working with Caucus and Partners to Set Legislative Agenda for 2006 - The CSF has been meeting with Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus leadership and staff, along with key committee staff, to establish legislative priorities for 2006. With elections looming in November, the CSF is working with the bipartisan CSC to make sure the message from the outdoor industry and other conservation groups is heard loud and clear on Capitol Hill. The legislative agenda includes three major policy reform-reauthorization efforts, continuing efforts to enact the E-Duck Stamp and Wetlands Loan Act, and the annual effort to insure that key conservation programs receive adequate levels of federal funding.
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(12/9/05) Sportsmen Unite to Promote Forest Recovery Bill - CSF organized 21 other conservation organizations united through the American Wildlife Conservation Partners to join with Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus members in promoting HR 4200, the Forest Emergency Restoration and Research Act of 2005.
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 (11/18/05) Caucus Members Introduce Wetlands Loan Act - Today, Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus members Representatives Mark Kennedy and Mike Thompson hosted a press conference to spotlight the introduction of the Wetlands Loan Act in the House of Representatives. The Wetlands Loan Act aims to increase revenues available now to retain vital wetlands for waterfowl and other species.
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(11/4/05) Conservation Groups Call on Congress to Support House Resources Committee Act - Seventeen conservation groups, including the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, joined together to urge support for the Federal Energy Natural Resources Enhancement Fund Act of 2005.
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(10/21/05) House Overwhelmingly Passes Firearms Manufacturer Liability Protection - On Thursday, the House passed the Senate version of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, S. 397, 283-144. The bill shields law-abiding firearms manufacturers and dealers from frivolous lawsuits for third party criminal actions, ensuring that the industry sportsmen rely on for equipment isn’t shut down by politically motivated court decisions. With several of these lawsuits pending across the nation, the President is expected to sign the legislation soon.
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(10/4/05) House Passes Endangered Species Act Reforms - By a vote of 229-193, the House passed the “Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2005” on Thursday. The current Endangered Species Act has a recovery rate of less than one percent.
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(9/23/05) House Resources Committee Passes Endangered Species Act Reforms - By a vote of 26-12, the House Resources Committee passed Committee Chairman and Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus Member Congressman Richard Pombo’s (R-CA) “Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2005.” The vote caps a week of activity on the measure to pass the biggest reforms since the original act was passed more than three decades ago.
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(8/1/05) Senate Passes Gunmaker Liability Protection Bill; Industry Activism Pays Off - Grassroots support from gun owners and outdoor industry leaders was crucial in the passage of S.397, The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. The bill passed by a 65-31 vote in the Senate on Friday. Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation partners National Shooting Sports Foundation and National Rifle Association can be credited with generating thousands of phone calls, letters and emails to the offices of Senators urging the passage of the bill.
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| (7/29/05) Highway Bill Puts Sportsmen's Money Back Into Fishing and Boating Programs - The Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, along with the angling and boating community, hail the passage of the Highway bill, which recaptures the final 4.8 cents of the 18.3 cents per gallon tax on motorboat fuel and directs it back into the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act's Aquatic Resources Trust Fund (ARTF). The House passed the final bill by a very large margin this morning and the Senate is expected to follow suit later today. |
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(5/27/05) “Open Fields” Legislation Support Urged in Senate - Calling on colleagues to support the “Open Fields” bill, CSC member Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) recently made a statement on the Senate floor bringing attention to the success of state sportsmen’s access programs for private landowners and numerous statistics that show the proposed federal expenditure called for in his bill could generate much more revenue with the promotion of hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities.
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(5/27/05) Conferees Begin Work on Highway Bill
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Under the direction of the Highway Bill Conference Chairman and CSC Member Representative Don Young (R-AK), conferees from the House and the Senate will begin work on melding the two versions of the highway reauthorization legislation into one six-year bill following the Memorial district work period. There are numerous conservation provisions contained in both the House and Senate passed versions, including funding for refuge roads, recreational trails, culverts for fish passage and fishing and boating programs.
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(5/26/05) House Caucus Members Encourage Support for Lawful Commerce in Arms Act - The House leadership of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus sent a letter to their colleagues in the House asking for their support as co-sponsors of HR 800, the “Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.”
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(4/15/05) Caucus Members Ask Colleagues to Support State Wildlife Grants in Appropriations Process - Led by Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus Senate Co-Chairs Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE), House Vice Chair Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI), former House Co-Chairs Rep. Robin Hayes (R-NC) and Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Caucus member Rep. Jim Saxton (R-NJ), 125 Representatives and 39 Senators sent a letter to colleagues on the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee requesting $85 million for the State Wildlife Grants Program.
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(4/6/05) Senate Caucus Leadership Calls on Senators to Support Commerce in Arms Act - The Senate leadership of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus has sent a “Dear Colleague” letter to their fellow senators urging them to join as co-sponsors on S. 397, the “Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.”
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| (3/9/05) Open Fields Bill Reintroduced in House & Senate - In March, Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus members Senators Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Representatives Tom Osborne (R-NE) and Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) reintroduced the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program Act of 2005, also known as the "Open Fields" bill. |
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| (3/4/05) Sportfishing and Boating Equity Act Reintroduced in House & Senate - Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus members, Senator Trent Lott (R-MS) and Congressman Clay Shaw (R-FL) introduced legislation early in the 109th Congress that will significantly improve funding for fishing and boating in America. The two bills, the Sportfishing and Boating Equity Act of 2005 (S. 422 and H.R. 1063), would direct the full excise tax on motor boat fuel towards critical programs at the state level. |
