U.S. House Passes Pittman-Robertson Fund Modernization Bill

September 12, 2018 (Washington, DC) – In a win for the sportsmen’s conservation community, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2591, the Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow’s Needs Act of 2017, on a voice vote.

Introduced by Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Vice-Chair Congressman Austin Scott (GA), along with fellow CSC leadership, Congressmen Jeff Duncan (SC), Gene Green (TX), and Marc Veasey (TX), advancing this important legislation has been a priority for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) and CSC leadership during this Congress.

This bill would increase flexibility for state wildlife agencies by allowing the use of Pittman-Robertson(P-R) funds for the recruitment of hunters and recreational shooters. This added flexibility is critical to ensuring the long-term viability of revenue sources that fund state-based fish and wildlife conservation across the country.

Without establishing new taxes or fees, H.R. 2591 would expand the Multistate Conservation Grant Program by providing an additional $5 million annually from archery-related excise taxes. This legislation would also place a cap on the amount of funds that can be spent on hunter and recreational shooter recruitment to ensure wildlife conservation remains the primary focus of P-R funds.

“Recruitment and retention of new hunters means more dollars in the Pittman-Robertson Fund, which directly benefits state-based conservation efforts across the United States,” said CSF President Jeff Crane. “CSF will continue to work closely with CSC leadership in order to bring this important legislation to the President’s desk.”

“With a national decline in outdoor recreational activities, Pittman-Robertson funds are shrinking and our state and local habitats are suffering, which is why I have been fighting to give states more flexibility in how they use their PR funds and hopefully attract more Americans to the outdoors in the process,” said Rep. Scott. “I am very pleased the House passed my PR modernization bill, and I thank Chairman Rob Bishop for his commitment to this legislation as well as to sportsmen and women across the country. As this bill heads to be considered in the Senate, I will keep pressing until our decades-old wildlife conservation funding model receives the critical updates it deserves.”

In May, H.R. 2591 passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee on unanimous consent. The Senate companion bill, S. 1613, which is sponsored by all four CSC Senate leaders, Senators Jim Risch (ID), Joe Manchin (WV), Deb Fischer (NE), and Heidi Heitkamp (ND), awaits a hearing in the Environment and Public Works Committee.

Since 1989, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) has maintained a singleness of purpose that has guided the organization to become the most respected and trusted sportsmen’s organization in the political arena. CSF’s mission is to work with Congress, governors, and state legislatures to protect and advance hunting, angling, recreational shooting and trapping. The unique and collective force of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC), the Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus (GSC) and the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC), working closely with CSF, and with the support of major hunting, angling, recreational shooting and trapping organizations, serves as an unprecedented network of pro-sportsmen elected officials that advance the interests of America’s hunters and anglers.