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May 25, 2005
Volume 3, Issue 12
State Caucus Update:
Remote Hunting Bills Picking Up Steam
State Legislatures Honoring Veteran and Active Duty Military Sportsmen
Oregon House Passes “No Net Loss” Legislation
Pennsylvania House Votes to Eliminate Back Tags for Hunters
Wisconsin Legislators Move to Form Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus
Remote Hunting Bills Picking Up Steam
An idea developed at the First Annual Meeting of the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC) last December has garnered international media attention and incredible momentum in state legislatures – remote, or internet, hunting. More than a dozen states have passed or introduced NASC-backed legislation to ban the practice of remote hunting.
Maine Governor John Baldacci recently signed House Bill 46, a ban on the practice of remote hunting that can be done at one’s desk thousands of miles away from the wild game. North Carolina legislators passed House Bill 772, their internet hunting ban that now awaits the Governor’s signature. In Vermont, Senate Bill 166 will outlaw the act with exemptions available for those with severe disabilities. It has passed the House and is now awaiting concurrence from the Senate. California also has a remote hunting bill awaiting action, Senate Bill 1028. The bill was referred to the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife last week after passing the Senate.
Lawmakers in New Jersey introduced Assembly Bill 4087 to ban the practice, and it recently passed the Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources with the full Assembly expected to vote soon. In Texas, where the internet hunting idea originated, House Bill 391 has been introduced to stop it in its tracks. It is now waiting for consideration on the Texas House Floor. After the New York Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus leadership sent a memo to colleagues supporting a ban on the practice
(see: www.sportsmenslink.org/pdf/05NYInternetHuntingLetter.pdf), legislation passed the Senate and is now being marked up in the Assembly Committee on Codes. In Minnesota, a fish and game package that passed the Senate last week included a ban on remote hunting as one of more than 30 provisions. The bill is currently in conference committee to iron out the few differences between the Senate’s version of the package and one that passed the House several weeks ago.
In addition to these states, Virginia and Tennessee passed bans on internet hunting in February and April, respectively. Other states currently taking on the issue include Delaware, Hawaii, Michigan, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina.
State Legislatures Honoring Veteran and Active Duty Military Sportsmen
Making it easier for the men and women who have served or are currently serving our country in the armed forces to enjoy the outdoors has become a priority in several states. On May 16, House Bill 1076, legislation to waive fees on hunting and fishing licenses for active duty soldiers, passed the Texas legislature and is waiting on the Governor’s desk. Also, on May 11, Senate Bill 680 was introduced in Pennsylvania. The legislation, currently sitting in the Senate Committee on Game and Fisheries, will allow for free hunting, fishing, and fur taking licenses for military personnel upon their discharge from active duty. Minnesota included language to provide preference for active duty and recently discharged veterans when obtaining hunting and fishing licenses in the Senate fish and game package passed last Wednesday.
Oregon House Passes “No Net Loss” Legislation
The Oregon State House of Representatives passed House Bill 2529, legislation that would prevent a net loss of acreage of state managed hunting land. This bill also states that any land in the state used for wildlife management purposes must also be accessible to hunters. NASC has been promoting similar bills, which are also known as Hunting Heritage Protection Acts. They are a very important step in keeping state managed public lands open to hunting. The bill will now go to the Senate for a final vote.
Pennsylvania House Votes to Eliminate Back Tags for Hunters
In an effort to save the state $650,000 annually and, perhaps more importantly, allow state agencies to move toward more advanced and efficient options for hunters to obtain licenses, Pennsylvania Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Keith Gillespie (R-York) introduced legislation to do away with the mandatory open display of hunting tags for the state’s sportsmen. “This legislation will allow the Pennsylvania Game Commission the option of ‘point of sale’ license generation,” said Gillespie. The bill, which passed the House and now heads to the Senate, is supported by the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen and Pennsylvania Game Commission. Commission spokesman Jerry Feaser explained to reporters that a move towards electronic applications and the end of mandatory back tags will significantly reduce processing procedures at the agency, significantly cutting costs and making the process more sportsman-friendly.
Wisconsin Legislators Move to Form Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus
Legislators in Wisconsin held a meeting with NASC State Caucus Manager Aaron Hobbs on Friday, May 20 to begin the process of creating the Wisconsin Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus. The Wisconsin members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus in Washington, DC sent state legislators on both sides of the aisle a letter to formally encourage them to move forward with this effort. The National Wild Turkey Federation, specifically Bill Torhorst, assisted in laying the ground work for this inaugural meeting by delivering NASC information to legislators through personal contacts and identifying key legislators who will work to support sportsmen’s rights.
The meeting was held in the Capitol, and was attended by legislators or key staff representatives to review previously provided information, receive an overview of NASC and the accomplishments of other state caucuses from Hobbs, and to move forward with the process of formally establishing the caucus. Assembly Speaker John Gard (R – 89) stated, “I am eager to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to form the Wisconsin Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus. Working on a bi-partisan basis with our colleagues in both the Assembly and Senate will help to ensure that we maintain and enhance the rights of Wisconsinites to enjoy the great hunting, fishing and trapping opportunities of the state.” NASC staff will provide additional information and resources to the legislators and looks to add Wisconsin to the growing list of state legislative sportsmen’s caucuses soon. For information on how to contribute to the Wisconsin State Resources fund that will be used by the state caucus please visit the NASC website, www.statesportsmenslink.org.
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