Congressional Sportsmen Foundation: Tracking The Capitols March 24th 2009
Weekly update on federal and state legislation affecting sportsmen.
Any Capital City, USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- Welcome to this weeks issue of the weekly “Tracking the Capitols” report. Tracking the Capitols is intended to keep you informed on the most pertinent and timely federal and state legislation affecting hunting, fishing, and conservation issues currently being tracked by the CSF and NASC policy team. Subscribers to the CSF electronic mailing list will receive this report in their email inbox every Tuesday morning.
IN THE US CAPITAL
S.632 The Firearms Fairness and Affordability Act was introduced in the U.S Senate last Wednesday by Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus Senate Co-Chair Senator Mike Crapo and former Co-Chair Senator Max Baucus. This legislation is the Senate version of H.R.510, introduced by former House Caucus Co-Chair, Representative Ron Kind, which would allow the firearms and ammunition industry to pay the firearms excise tax (FAET) on a quarterly basis, the same payment schedule as every other industry supporting conservation.
IN THE STATES
Hunters Feeding The Hungry (Issue Brief)
Arkansas HB 1803 sponsored by Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair, Representative Mike Burris, and Arkansas SB 642 from Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair, Senator Ruth Whitaker, charters and funds the Arkansas Hunters Feeding The Hungry program.
Connecticut HB 5281 sponsored by Sportsmen’s Caucus Member, Representative Bryan Hurlburt, would allow deer hunters to take two additional deer, provided the deer meat is donated to a charitable or nonprofit entity that serves food to the needy.
Kansas HB 2346 would provide a sales tax exemption for Kansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry, Inc.
New York AB 1964 directs the Departments of Environmental Conservation, Agriculture and Markets, Insurance, Transportation, and Health and the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance to establish and implement an interagency task force, to be known as the Hudson Valley White-Tail Deer Mitigation Task Force to promote the distribution of venison (taken by lawful hunting pursuant to certain permits) to charitable or not-for-profit organizations which serve or distribute food without cost to the poor or needy.
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Tracking Map for Hunters Feeding the Hungry
Click Here For INTERACTIVE MAP
Voter Registration (Issue Brief)
Missouri HB 568 sponsored by Sportsmen’s Caucus Member, Representative Bob Dixon, requires the local offices and resident hunting and fishing permit vendors of the Department of Conservation to make a voter registration application form available to a resident permit applicant.
New York AB 2960 would allow any qualified person to apply for voter registration along with an application for any hunting or fishing license.
Tax Exemptions
Georgia HB 767 sponsored by Sportsmen’s Caucus Member, Representative Austin Scott, would provide a tax exemption on the sale or use of firearms and ammunition.
Anti-Hunting/Fishing
Illinois SB 1269 sponsored by Senator Heather Steans, would have prohibited the selling, supplying, or distributing of lead sinkers and lead jigs and prohibit the use of lead sinkers and lead jigs to take fish in freshwater lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, brooks, and similar bodies of water over which the Department of Natural Resources has jurisdiction.
The Illinois Sportsmen’s Caucus moved quickly and encouraged Sen. Steans to drop the lead ban and change the legislation to instead commission the DNR to institute a study on the affect of lead fishing tackle on freshwater habitat.
Constitutional Amendments
Kansas HCR 5017 would provide a constitutional right to bear arms and hunt.
New York AB 7045 and SB 1256 each propose a constitutional amendment protecting the right of the people to keep and bear arms for traditionally recognized purposes.
About:
We can have the best wildlife habitat imaginable and a record number of people who buy fishing and hunting licenses, but it won’t matter if misguided laws and regulations are made at the federal and state levels that negatively impact our outdoor traditions. Keeping sportsmen’s issues front and center is what the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation does. Day in and day out, our sole focus is on providing a voice for sportsmen in the political arena. Serving as the first line of defense in protecting America’s outdoor traditions as well as promoting the sportsmen’s agenda through the collective muscle of sportsmen’s caucuses.