Two CSF Legislative Priorities Introduced in the Great Plains

Why It Matters: The Great Plains region saw two Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) legislative priorities introduced last week in Kansas and Iowa, respectively. The Kansas bill would ensure that the state’s fish and wildlife agency is reimbursed for revenue that is lost from free and discounted licenses, while the Iowa bill would encourage political participation by hunters and anglers through voter registration.

Highlights:

The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation has been working to promote core legislative priorities throughout the Great Plains region.

Kansas introduced House Bill 2543 (HB 2543), which would reimburse the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) for lost revenue from the legislature’s future issuance of any free or discounted hunting and fishing licenses.

Iowa introduced Senate File 2130 (SF 2130), which would provide Iowa residents who purchase a hunting, trapping, or fishing license with a voter registration application.

CSF has been proactive in the Great Plains Region to introduce legislation that not only protects critical conservation funding but also encouraging sportsmen and women to be engaged political participation at the ballots. Legislation, like the bills introduced in Kansas and Iowa, will ensure state’s fish and wildlife agencies can continue their conservation efforts and protect sportsmen and women’s time-honored traditions at the ballot-box.

Kansas Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair Representative Will Carpenter introduced a CSF legislative priority in House Bill 2543, which was referred to the House Committee on Appropriations. The bill would reimburse the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks for any revenue lost from any future free or discounted hunting and fishing licenses the legislature issues. Over the past several years, numerous efforts have been made to give discounts on hunting and fishing licenses to specific groups. While these efforts are well-intended, state fish and wildlife agencies, like KDWP, lose out on critical conservation funding that they rely on for their conservation efforts (both from the lost license revenue as well as their ability to utilize that revenue to access federal match dollars through the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration programs).

Iowa Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair Senator Lynn Evans has also introduced CSF priority legislation in Senate File 2130, which has been assigned to the Senate Natural Resources and Environment Committee. This bill would provide Iowa residents with a voter registration form when they purchase a hunting, trapping, or fishing license. This piece of legislation will help encourage sportsmen and women, a key voting demographic, to be involved in the political process of protecting our outdoor traditions. Increased sportsmen’s participation in the voting process ensures the interests of hunters and anglers are better represented at the ballot box.

The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation appreciates the leadership of Representative Carpenter and Senator Evans on these critical issues and for their work and dedication in introducing these bills. CSF will continue to support the passage of these important pieces of legislation as they make their way through the legislative process.