Senator Harman Re-Introduces Species Conservation Legislation
Sacramento, CA –-(AmmoLand.com)- Senator Tom Harman (R-Huntington Beach) vowing to keep up the fight, re-introduced legislation today that seeks to ensure that hunting license tag and stamp funds benefit game species and their habitats.
Senate Bill 1058 will require that, before any hunting monies can be expended, hunting-related organizations would have an opportunity to review proposed projects and provide comment to the Department of Fish and Game. Not only will this create much-needed transparency, it will allow for projects to be modified to better fit the needs of game species and hunters.
“As an avid outdoorsman, I feel pretty strongly that money rightly belonging to species preservation be spent accordingly,” said Harman. “We got so close last year to fixing this problem that I just couldn’t give up the fight. People pay those fees with the expectation that the money goes where it’s supposed to go – not that the fees are sucked up by a bureaucracy for office expenses.”
Current law, particularly as it relates to bear and deer tag monies, does not always require that the monies be used for a dedicated purpose. Unfortunately, these funds have been continuously used for non-game purposes.
“This bill will ensure transparency in the spending of these funds,” said Harman. “That is something we should have in all government spending – clarity – so people know where the dollars go.”
SB 1058, sponsored by the California Outdoor Heritage Alliance (COHA), a sportsmen’s advocacy coalition of over 30 wildlife conservation and hunting organizations, will address the funding issue and add transparency as to how the tag and stamp fees are utilized.
“Hunters are proud of their key role in funding many of the Department of Fish and Game’s conservation activities through the purchase of hunting license stamps and tags,” stated Mark Hennelly, Vice President of COHA. “SB 1058 will help ensure that those important dollars are used as efficiently and effectively as possible to benefit game species and their habitats.”
SB 1058 is a reintroduction of SB 589 which passed out of the legislature with bipartisan support and was unfortunately vetoed by the Governor.
“This bill went all the way to the Governor’s desk last year. It had a lot of support and I am committed to seeing it signed into law,” said Harman. “I am working with the Governor’s office to address their concerns.”
The first hearing on SB 1058 will likely be in early April in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee.