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December 14, 2005
Volume 3, Number 27
State Caucus Update
State Sportsmen’s Caucus Members Already Working to File Legislation for 2006
Ohio and Pennsylvania Support Bills to Allow More New Hunters in the Field
Florida Caucus Honored at State Sportsmen’s Cookout
State Sportsmen’s Caucus Members Already Working to File Legislation for 2006
As the 2006 legislative session approaches, the National Assembly of Sportsmen's Caucuses is tracking nearly 500 pieces of legislation concerning the rights of sportsmen across the nation. Whether fighting trapping bans or pressing state constitutional amendments to guarantee the rights to hunt and fish, state legislators from Kentucky to California will stand united for sportsmen through their respective state causes.
State sportsmen’s caucus members are getting an early start for the 2006 session. Florida Caucus Co-Chair and NASC Executive Council Member Rep. Baxter Troutman (R-Winter Haven) has pre-filed HB 471 that will allow new hunters to defer the need to take a hunting safety course for up to 12 months in order to hunt on a restricted license under the direct supervision and in the physical presence of an adult who has met the normal licensing requirements. The proposal was developed by a coalition of sportsmen, including the Allied Sportsmen's Associations of Florida, and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission at the 2005 Summit on the Future of Hunting in Florida. In addition, legislation has been introduced to allow voter registration when purchasing sporting licenses and instituting a “no net loss” of hunting lands protection in the Sunshine State.
Additional legislation currently considered around the country includes internet hunting bans in Illinois, Minnesota, Tennessee, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Another trend in NASC is also monitoring in state houses is the effort some legislators are making to honor our active duty military personnel and veterans with discounted or free sporting licenses. Lawmakers in Georgia, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia and Maine have bills for consideration in 2006 that recognizes both the service of these individuals and our outdoor heritage.
These highlights represent just a small portion of the bills facing sportsmen in state legislatures. Through the NASC, state legislative sportsmen’s caucuses in 26 states are working together to ensure that the nation’s hunters, anglers and trappers have a unified voice in state capitals.
Ohio and Pennsylvania Support Bills to Allow More New Hunters in the Field
On Tuesday, the Ohio House of Representatives passed HB 296, a bill to benefit new hunters by creating an apprentice hunting license. Ohio Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair Representative Stephen Buehrer (R-Delta) introduced the measure that will allow licensed veteran hunters to take inexperienced youth or adults out in the field before the completion of the long hunter safety course. The apprentice hunters will be required to remain close to the mentor during their hunt and will ultimately need to take the full hunter safety course in order to obtain a standard hunting license.
On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania House gave final approval to a Senate-passed bill to create a mentored youth hunting program. The legislation now heads to the Governor’s desk. These bills are part of the Families Afield initiative supported by two NASC Founding Partners, National Shooting Sports Foundation and National Wild Turkey Federation, and NASC sponsor, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance. The legislation now heads to the Senate for approval.
Florida Caucus Honored at State Sportsmen’s Cookout
On December 7, sportsmen and women from Miami to Panama City traveled to Tallahassee, Florida, to attend the Allied Sportsmen's Associations of Florida's 5th Annual Fur, Feather & Fins Wild Game Cookout honoring the Florida Legislators' Sportsmen's Caucus. Caucus members turned out in great numbers, with 26 Representatives and Senators in attendance.
The 2005 cookout featured the first silent auction to raise funds for the Sportsmen's Caucus. Donated items included an Osceola turkey hunt, Gulf of Mexico fishing trip, shotguns, rods and reels. At the end of the night, the auction netted about $8,000 for the Caucus.
Rep. Baxter Troutman reported receiving numerous compliments from legislators in the House Chamber the following day, with most considering the highlight to be the opportunity to spend quality time with sportsmen from around Florida.
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