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| photo by Bryan Huskey |
The Sportsmen Act did not pass last weeks. Vaughn
Collins, an important friend of sportsmen in Washington DC, and the government affairs director for the Theodore
Roosevelt Conservation Partnership said the bill needed 60 votes to secure a budget waiver
on Monday, but only found 50 as Republican votes slipped away. They opposed it
on a procedural point of order apparently related to an increase in the price
of a duck stamp in the bill. If that strikes you as an odd reason to nuke such
important conservation legislation.
"We’re all fed up with congressional gridlock, but readers of
this blog need to insist that senators compromise and reach a bipartisan
agreement on the bill now. It’s already passed the House, but – as we all know
from the incessant “fiscal cliff” turmoil – the congressional clock is ticking.
If this package is to become law, it needs action within the next three weeks.
Why support it? Here’s one big reason. It would give the
Secretary of the Interior – in consultation with the Migratory Bird Commission
– the authority to raise the price of a federal Duck Stamp. That hasn’t
happened in decades, and given the onslaught of habitat destruction occurring
across the nations wetlands it’s sorely needed. Those federal Duck Stamp
dollars acquire lands across the Prairie Pothole Region for permanent wildlife
habitat in the form of refuges and waterfowl production areas. A $15 stamp doesn't go as far anymore, especially in the era of $8-per-bushel corn." Rob Drieslein
Your voice is needed on Capitol Hill to help push the Sportsmen's Act of 2012 across the finish line. Congress adjourns in just two weeks and we could miss our chance at passing one of the most important pieces of legislation sportsmen have seen in years.
Please call your Senators’ offices today and tell the staff member who answers to urge Senator Tester and Senator Sessions to find a solution for the Sportsmen’s Act of 2012 and pass it before time runs out.
Click here to find out more.
