On April 18, the House Agriculture Committee marked up and passed H.R. 2, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018. This bill, more commonly known as the Farm Bill, was introduced by Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Member and House Agriculture Committee Chairman Representative Michael Conaway (TX) on April 12.
The current Farm Bill, which includes many important conservation programs for our nation’s fish and wildlife populations, was authorized in 2014 and is set to expire in September. If passed and signed into law, the new Farm Bill will ensure the future of these critical programs that help support soil, water, and fish and wildlife conservation on America’s private lands, farms, ranches, and forests.
Title II, also known as the Conservation Title, of the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 contains a number of pro-sportsmen’s provisions, including:
“The reauthorization of the Farm Bill is a critical, bipartisan priority for sportsmen and women around the country,” said Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) President Jeff Crane. “We sincerely appreciate Chairman Conaway and the other members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus who are working to ensure the important conservation provisions of Title II remain a fundamental component of the next iteration of the Farm Bill.”
The Senate Agriculture Committee is expected to introduce their own Farm Bill legislation in the coming weeks, while H.R. 2 currently awaits scheduling for a floor vote in the House of Representatives.
Share your opinion about the most important conservation programs in the upcoming Farm Bill by taking CSF’s monthly poll today.
Studies conducted at both the state and federal level have found that the number of hunters and trappers have been on a generally declining trend over the past several decades. To increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters and trappers, which initiative do you think would have the greatest impact?
