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May 11, 2005
Volume 3, Issue 11
State Caucus Update:
Maryland Sportsmen’s Caucus Hunting Heritage Protection Act Signed and Celebrated
Florida Ends Session with Victories for Sunshine State Sportsmen
New Mexico Gets Sportsmen’s Caucus Up and Running in 2005 Legislative Session
New York Sportsmen’s Caucus Supports the Ban on Remote Hunting
State Caucus Update:
Maryland Sportsmen’s Caucus Hunting Heritage Protection Act Signed and Celebrated
Governor Bob Ehrlich hosted members and friends of the Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus in Annapolis yesterday for the signing of the Maryland Hunting Heritage Protection Act, a bill based on legislation drafted by the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and endorsed as NASC model legislation to ensure state managed public lands remain open to hunting. Governor Ehrlich stated, “I am proud to have my legislative colleagues with me today as I sign this historic piece of legislation that will help ensure access to public lands for Maryland hunters in years to come. The Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus and Foundation are very important to the Sportsmen of our state and I look forward to continuing to work closely with them in the future.” A camouflage Maryland Sportsmen’s Caucus hunting hat, provided by NASC’s State Caucus Manager Aaron Hobbs who attended the event, sat on the Governor’s desk as he signed the bill into law.
After the signing, NASC founding partner Bass Pro Shops in Arundel Mills, MD hosted the Maryland Sportsmen’s Caucus, Maryland Sportsmen’s Foundation, and sportsmen from across the state, including representatives from the Fishing & Hunting Journal, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and the Center for Chesapeake Communities for a celebratory lunch.
Florida Ends Session with Victories for Sunshine State Sportsmen
The Florida General Assembly ended its 2005 Session with the passage of key legislation promoted by the Florida Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus. HB 1697, an omnibus highway safety package, was passed with a provision that changed the way the proceeds from the Animal Friends license plate could be used. The specialty license plate was created last year to provide funding for spaying and neutering programs with the intention of the funds going to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), an organization with a $96 million annual budget that is notorious for its anti-sportsmen activities and positions. The provision in this bill introduced by members of the Florida Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus ensures the funds will only be directed to spaying and neutering programs, and removes HSUS, and their anti-sporting agenda, as a beneficiary. For more information on the accomplishments of the Florida Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus in 2005, go to: www.statesportsmenslink.org/news/index.tpl?ID=39.
New Mexico Gets Sportsmen’s Caucus Up and Running in 2005 Legislative Session
Perhaps the biggest victory for sportsmen in New Mexico during the 2005 legislative session was the organization of the New Mexico Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus – a guarantee that sportsmen’s voices will be heard at the state level. The Caucus elected House Co-Chairs Rep. Ken Martinez (D-Cibola, McKinley & San Juan) and Rep. Don Tripp (R-Catron, Socorro & Valencia) and Senate Co-Chairs Sen. Carlos Cisneros (D-Santa Fe & Taos) and Sen. Stuart Ingle (R-Chaves, Curry, De B & Roosevelt) to serve as leaders during the caucus’s inaugural session. To read more about the success of the New Mexico Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, go to: www.statesportsmenslink.org/news/index.tpl?ID=40.
New York Sportsmen’s Caucus Supports the Ban on Remote Hunting
The new leadership team of the New York Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus has co-signed a memo to all caucus members asking that they join in support of two bills banning remote or internet hunting in the state of New York. The New York Caucus is the seventh caucus to support legislation banning internet hunting after the introduction of this idea in Texas earlier this year. The idea of hunting with a computer mouse came from an exotic game ranch in Texas where developers created a machine that allows someone to log onto the internet and – for a fee – could aim a rifle to fire at game animals wandering into its path. Numerous hunting and conservation organizations have argued that this type of hunting goes against the fair chase ethic and allowing the action to continue would be a detriment to our hunting heritage. The NASC has worked with each of the seven caucuses as they work to prevent internet hunting from taking place in their state.
To view the letter, visit: www.sportsmenslink.org/pdf/05NYInternetHuntingLetter.pdf.
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