December 19, 2019 (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Today, Congress approved two legislative packages which include many strong provisions that will further conservation efforts and benefit America’s sportsmen and women.
On December 16, House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey released the text of two legislative packages that together will fund the government until the end of Fiscal Year 2020. One of the packages released by Chairwoman Lowey, H.R. 1865, includes funding for the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior as well as a number of other federal agencies.
Many of the sporting-conservation related provisions included in H.R. 1865 are longstanding priorities for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF). In advance of the appropriations negotiations, CSF worked tirelessly to advance these priorities either as standalone bills or as part of other packages. Notable bipartisan agreements in the H.R. 1865 minibus include:
“CSF applauds House and Senate Appropriators for providing funding for some of the most important programs for America’s sportsmen and women,” said CSF President Jeff Crane. “We are grateful for the
leadership of Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Co-Chair Rep. Austin Scott and CSC Member Sen. Jim Risch for their commitment over the last two Congresses to secure the inclusion of the Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow’s Needs Act as part of this package. This provision will play a pivotal role in ensuring the future of one of America’s most successful conservation programs, the Pittman-Robertson Fund.”
The bill now awaits President Trump’s signature to become enacted law. CSF looks forward to advancing these and other priorities further in the next appropriations cycle.
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?
