December 19, 2024 (Washington, DC) – Earlier today, the United States Senate passed H.R. 6492, the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act. This legislation is the most comprehensive public lands package to pass Congress since 2019 and includes a number of longstanding priorities for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF). This legislation marks the third CSF priority that has been sent to the President’s desk in less than two weeks and is the fifth CSF priority to pass in the 118th Congress.
CSF would like to thank Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Co-Chair Representative Bruce Westerman for leading the EXPLORE Act and CSC Co-Chair Senator Joe Manchin for leading the Senate companion bill, the America’s Outdoor Recreation Act, as well as the dozens of CSC members who made this bill a reality.
“The EXPLORE Act is a common-sense piece of legislation that will improve access opportunities for sportsmen and women across the country. The passage of the EXPLORE Act is a clear result of the leadership of CSC Members Rep. Bruce Westerman, Sen. Joe Manchin, and other members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, who continue to demonstrate their commitment to sportsmen and women,” said CSF President and CEO Jeff Crane.
The EXPLORE Act is a robust package that contains a number of important provisions to increase access for sportsmen and women. One of the most impactful provisions is language that will bolster recreational shooting opportunities by requiring the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to have a minimum of one target shooting range free to the public in each of their respective districts. At a time when safe and accessible places to target shoot are increasingly more difficult to find, this provision is critical to enhance our recreational shooting traditions.
Additionally, the EXPLORE Act contains another longstanding CSF priority that would streamline the permitting process for small film crews (six individuals or fewer) conducting filming or photography on federal lands. Under current law, small film crews are treated the same way in the permitting process as large-scale Hollywood productions. However, this legislation will make it clear that no additional film or photography permits are required for those small film crews, in accordance with other applicable laws and permit regulations. This provision will make it easier for sportsmen and women, outdoor production companies, and others to promote and share their federal land recreational experiences.
The EXPLORE Act will also aid federal agencies in their efforts to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species, which pose a serious threat to native aquatic ecosystems and the economy. Once established, aquatic invasive species are difficult, if not impossible, to eradicate, and significant resources must be invested annually in population management. Preventing harmful introductions of aquatic invasive species before they occur is the most effective means to avoid the risk they present.
These provisions are just a few of the many contained in the EXPLORE Act, which if signed into law, will improve hunting, fishing, recreational shooting, and trapping access across the nation. CSF is proud to see this legislation pass Congress, and we look forward to this legislation becoming law.
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