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Senate Energy Natural Resources Committee Advances Sportsmen’s Act

Senate Energy Natural Resources Committee Advances Sportsmen’s Act

 

Sportsmen’s Act product of bipartisanship

On March 27, Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) members introduced the Sportsmen’s Act, a bipartisan package of legislation (S. 733) in the Senate. On March 30, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed S. 733 with a voice vote.

Provisions within this bill would increase access to public lands for outdoor recreation, and enhance opportunities for pursuing hunting, angling, and recreational shooting traditions. Key provisions within S. 733 include:

  • Reauthorizing federal land open to hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting
  • Reauthorizing the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act
  • Exempts commercial filming permits for film crews of three or fewer, or for news gathering purposes
  • Authorizing the Hunt Unrestricted on National Treasures (HUNT) Act
  • Amends the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to allocate funds for construction and expansion of public target ranges on federal land
  • Permanently establishes the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council Advisory Committee to advise the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture on wildlife and habitat conservation, hunting, and recreational shooting
  • Allows the transport of bows or crossbows across National Park Service (NPS) land
  • Allows use of qualified hunter volunteers to manage wildlife on NPS land

“For too long, sportsmen’s access to our federal lands has been restricted without reason or transparency,” said Alaskan Sen. Lisa Murkowski. “Our bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act will ensure that our federal lands are open unless closed, provide new opportunities for more Americans to enjoy those lands, and require federal agencies to expand and enhance access in accordance with their missions. The bill we introduced is an important first step as we seek to have these priorities signed into law.”

Sen. Murkowski and Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, along with CSC leaders, Sens. Jim Risch of Idaho; Joe Manchin of West Virginia; Deb Fischer of Nebraska; and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, introduced the legislation. —courtesy CSC Debaird Wikipedia photo