Why It Matters: As an avid sportsman, Senator Shane Wilkin is dedicated to protecting and advancing Ohio’s outdoor sporting traditions. Senator Wilkin is a member of the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, and it is critical to have pro-sportsmen representation on this key committee for issues impacting hunters, anglers, trappers, and recreational shooters.
Highlights:
- Earlier this month, Senator Wilkin was selected as the new Co-Chair of the Ohio Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (Caucus).
- Senator Wilkin succeeds Senator Michael Rulli who served as Caucus Co-Chair since 2019.
- Senator Wilkin will lead the bipartisan, bicameral Caucus alongside Representative Mike Loychik.
Senator Wilkin joins a robust network of pro-sportsmen policymakers from Ohio, including Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus Member Governor Mike DeWine and numerous members of the Ohio Congressional delegation that are members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus.
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) extends our gratitude to Senator Rulli for his leadership over the years, including hosting successful policy meetings and a well-attended legislative reception at the Ohio Statehouse that brought together the Ohio sportsmen’s community for an evening of camaraderie to celebrate the important contributions that hunters and anglers provide to conservation funding and the economy.
CSF looks forward to continuing to work with Senator Wilkin and the Caucus on key issues such as creating a nonresident college student license during this legislative session that will have a significant impact on Ohio’s 1.56 million sportsmen and women who contribute more than $4.3 billion to the state’s economy. In 2021 alone, Ohio’s sportsmen and women also generated more than $53.7 million for state-based conservation through the “user pays – public benefits” American System of Conservation Funding. By removing cost-prohibitive barriers such as non-resident fees for college students we can ensure college students maintain their interest in hunting and fishing throughout college and beyond, which will help to ensure sportsmen and women remain a core contributor to fish and wildlife conservation and our economy for generations to come.
