Sportsmen Act of 2015... contact your senators

[Oneye]

Urge your Senators to Support
the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act!

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee just passed the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act of 2015 (S.556)—a comprehensive bill addressing a variety of important issues for hunters, anglers and recreational shooters. The bill also seeks to maintain open access to public lands for hunting, fishing and other recreation. It received only one dissenting vote.

RMEF has been a staunch supporter of this bill since its introduction and has worked diligently with the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus and Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation to assure its passage.

Advancing the bill out of the committee is a good first step but we need the full Senate to follow suit. Please reach out to your senators online or by calling (202) 224-3121 to urge them to support this important sportsmen legislation without delay.

We appreciate your ongoing support.

Sincerely,

M. David Allen
RMEF President & CEO

Here is the letter RMEF sent to their membership. Mule deer foundation also sent out an email asking you to contact your senator to support the Sportsmen Act of 2015. If you support public lands, access, the LWCF, and a bright future for the hunting and angling community, contact your senators and ask them to support this piece of legislation as is, and to do it as quickly as possible. Here is a link to the list of representatives in the senate:

http://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/

 

[jryoung]

Take a listen to Heinrich's statement to the Committee. He's the real deal, not some carpetbagger that throws on an orange vest, takes a picture and says he/she supports hunters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ7EE7v_f8c&feature=youtu.be

 

[Big Fin]

We will see if this can finally get over the goal line. This has been a long-term project by some of the hunting groups and some Senators. Usually the screwballs over in the House find some way to mess it up and let it die over on their side. And if it does got to a full Senate vote, expect Cruz and his fellow band of merry misfits use it as their example of all that is wrong with America.

Given how much behind the scenes artillery has been used to soften up the beach heads, I am hopeful that the screwball and wingnut crowd is taking cover in their bunkers on this one. Any Senator coming out to try kill this one should expect it will be open season on this Senatorial seat, come next election cycle. Not sure I've ever seen the hunting community lobbying as hard on a piece of legislation as they are working on this one. If it passes, there will be a lot of "Thank You" notes to be written.

Please pressure your Senators to vote in support of this bill and get it moving.

 

[Oneye]

Take a listen to Heinrich's statement to the Committee. He's the real deal, not some carpetbagger that throws on an orange vest, takes a picture and says he/she supports hunters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ7EE7v_f8c&feature=youtu.be

I wish my state was so well represented. I throw emails to my crooked officials all the time and never get replies. They also never vote for anything decent.

 

[Oneye]

So Randy will this go around Bishop blocking the LWCF and renew and fully authorize it along with the bill?

 

[Big Fin]

So Randy will this go around Bishop blocking the LWCF and renew and fully authorize it along with the bill?

That remains to be seen. He is in a hard spot; He hates LWCF and public lands, but one has to ask, "Is he going to try kill a bill that has a lot of other pieces that hunters support?" If he does, expect him to be on the receiving end of some "woodshed" treatment.

 

[Big Foot]

Take a listen to Heinrich's statement to the Committee. He's the real deal, not some carpetbagger that throws on an orange vest, takes a picture and says he/she supports hunters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ7E...ature=youtu.be
__________________
Four of a kind, 7x57, 284 winchester, 7 Remington Mag, 7 Mashburn.

Man! Senator Martin Heinrich nailed it. My reps will hear from me today.

 

[Oneye]

That remains to be seen. He is in a hard spot; He hates LWCF and public lands, but one has to ask, "Is he going to try kill a bill that has a lot of other pieces that hunters support?" If he does, expect him to be on the receiving end of some "woodshed" treatment.

I as a Utahn apologize for Bishop. I've contacted him, Mike Lee, county commissioners, and several others on these issues on public land. I've had them bring up green decoys and all kinds of their BS tactics. Once you call them on it they have no response. Bishop is a terrible individual and I hope enough pressure mounts on him he'll finally break and realize he is wrong.

 

[Big Foot]

Can someone educate me on the process? Does this have to pass in a committee and then go to a vote on the floor of the senate?

 

[npaden]

Oneye, don't feel too bad. The only thing that happens when I send emails to my awesome senator Mr. Cruz is that I get added to his spam email machine that starts sending me out crap making it sound like somehow by emailing him my displeasure on his stance on the public lands issue that somehow I am a big supporter of his.

 

[hank4elk]

I just sent a thank you to Sen. Heinrich for all he does for outdoors folks,and me and like minded folks here in NM. Again.
I'm lucky he's my Sen. , along with Udall who is more unpredictable in his actions.

 

[RobG]

Here's the bill: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/s556/text

I glanced through it and didn't see anything earth shattering so what does this bill do?

I haven't been following this, but this doesn't seem good: section 201 talks about LCWF, but it looks like it limits the funds to the greater of 1.5% or $10 million. The LWCF royalties appear to be $900 million (http://lwcfcoalition.org/about-lwcf.html) so 1.5% will get you about 1/4 of the Sun Ranch. Based on the article the fund was generating $100 million per year in 2007 which was way down from years prior.

201.Availability of Land and Water Conservation Fund for recreational public access projects
(a)Availability of funds
Section 200303 of title 54, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
200303.Availability of funds for certain projects
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture shall ensure that, of the amounts appropriated for the fund for each fiscal year, not less than the greater of 1.5 percent of the amounts or $10,000,000 shall be made available for projects that secure public access to Federal land for hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes through easements, rights-of-way, or fee title acquisitions from willing sellers.

 

[RobG]

Best reason I've seen to support it so far... http://blog.humanesociety.org/wayne....html?credit=blog_post_020915_id5891#comments Love the comments

NRA's view: https://www.nraila.org/articles/20150205/nra-backs-bipartisan-sportsmens-act-of-2015

Don't know about the LWCF thing at 1.5%... seems like it gives the people who really want it to go away something to point at to show they "supported" it.

 

[RobG]

Got real quiet in here... I'm liking this bill less and less. Maybe I've got it wrong, but take a look at this article: http://www.abqjournal.com/679145/news/senate-panel-passes-public-land-access-bill.html

The measure would also permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which expired in September, and dedicate a portion of its budget to securing public access to existing federal lands.

Yes, but the amount is too small to do anything. This basically nukes it as far as I can tell while giving Daines et al a talking point about "permanently reauthorizing" it.

The bill would establish a national policy for federal agencies to expand and enhance sportsmen’s opportunities and make “open unless closed” the standard for access to federal lands throughout the United States.
The wide-ranging bill incorporates Heinrich’s previously introduced HUNT Act, which would direct all relevant federal agencies to improve access to high-priority federal lands where hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation are permitted.
“We’ll do a better job in making sure that, in particular, our public lands are open to sportsmen and recreationists,” Heinrich [Senator, D-New Mexico] said. “That’s been a huge issue in New Mexico. I’ve experienced firsthand the frustration of running into a locked gate on roads that used to be open to the public and are necessary to access public lands.”

There are some red flags in there. Land Tawney of BHA supports it, but I wonder if he knows what is really in it. The good (bows in parks, filming, shooting ranges) don't seem to amount to much.

Fin, whatcha think?

 

[hank4elk]

Main point is to get the bill passed then full court press to FULLY FUND IT as was intended.
Not another way to have a piggy bank to rob without replenishing. Or say,"See gubberment doesn't work!"
That's what our small minded representatives think is SOP these days...oh and not make any rich folks pay their share of taxes or just start another war and not fund it................except those little piggy banks us tax paying honest citizens cover...................

 

[npaden]

The LCWF as it was when it expired did not have any portion specifically dedicated to providing access to public land. Dedicating 1.5% for that purpose would not be watering it down.

 

[RobG]

That's a good point npaden that puts it in perspective, but the 1.5% is essentially zero, plus it makes an anchor point. If they give 3% it's still nothing but they can say it is twice as much as required. It's almost better if they didn't have any number in there.

Gotta go chase some cervids...

 

[bmack]

I as a Utahn apologize for Bishop. I've contacted him, Mike Lee, county commissioners, and several others on these issues on public land. I've had them bring up green decoys and all kinds of their BS tactics. Once you call them on it they have no response. Bishop is a terrible individual and I hope enough pressure mounts on him he'll finally break and realize he is wrong.

Amen to this! The politics in Utah are as backwards as I've ever seen and it seems it has been going on for such a long time the citizens have all turned into sheep.

Having only lived in SLC for the past 15 months it is very obvious trolls like Bishop feel comfort in knowing that nobody will hold them accountable.

 

[Big Fin]

The LCWF as it was when it expired did not have any portion specifically dedicated to providing access to public land. Dedicating 1.5% for that purpose would not be watering it down.

Correct. It sets the minimum at $10 million. And, if I had to predict, we will have LWCF reauthorized in the next six months, at a pretty high level. Having this LWCF minimum is a good litmus test for the upcoming battle with the morons firmly camped on the outer fringe.

That's a good point npaden that puts it in perspective, but the 1.5% is essentially zero, plus it makes an anchor point. If they give 3% it's still nothing but they can say it is twice as much as required. It's almost better if they didn't have any number in there.

See above, it is the greater of 1.5% if LWCF, or $10 million, which in most years, would have been $10MM.

Plus, for those interested in wetlands conservation, waterfowl, and the benefits that come from our wetlands issues, it reauthorizes NAWCA through 2019.

A few highlight of the bill are shown below.




This is not a cure-all, but given the huge opposition Congress has publicly stated against our issues, this bill would be a big win. And if it passes, it will be due to some folks stepping outside their party lines (on both sides). If some do disregard their party orders, and we get some progress, the worst thing that could happen is if hunters and anglers failed to thank them for taking some risks on our behalf. I will be thanking all involved, if we do get this passed, regardless of past differences.