Press Releases

Today, during the business session of the 113th Annual Meeting of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, the directors unanimously endorsed and applauded members of Congress for advancing bipartisan legislation to ensure students and schools can continue to access Department of Education funding for archery, hunter education, recreational shooting, and other outdoor enrichment programming.

The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies strongly supports the introduction of the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (S.1149) in the U.S. Senate today. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) introduced this bipartisan legislation that would provide critical funding to state fish and wildlife agencies and tribal fish and wildlife managers to effectively conserve our nation’s fish and wildlife for future generations. If passed, this bill will not only help the one-third of wildlife species in the United States currently at risk of becoming threatened or endangered, but also save taxpayer money by implementing proactive solutions to conserve those species in greatest need and prevent wildlife from becoming threatened or endangered.

The Association was disappointed to learn that in the final hours of negotiation, the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act was not included in the final language of the year end 2023 Omnibus package. The impasse had little to do with the contents of the legislative bill, which is widely supported, but the clock just ran out.

The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (Association) applauds the Biden-Harris Administration (Administration) for establishing the Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Council (Council). On Friday, September 23, the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the membership of the newly-recharted Council, which will serve as a Federal Advisory Committee to the Administration advancing the needs of the sportsmen and women that form the foundation for conservation and restoration of fish and wildlife species and flourishing habitats.

A new survey conducted by Responsive Management finds that 70 percent of Americans support the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, pending federal legislation that would allocate an additional $1.4 billion in annual funding to state agencies and tribal land managers for wildlife conservation.

Across the country, State Fish and Wildlife agencies stand on the front lines of conservation, and effectively use Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration funds as an indispensable part of their budgets to conserve wildlife and fisheries, restore habitat, provide shooting ranges, and connect people with nature. These funds, generated through a 10-11 percent federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition through the Pittman-Robertson Act, have generated $15 billion for conservation since the law was enacted in 1937. In 2022 alone, State Fish and Wildlife Agencies received a record $1.1 billion in funding through the Pittman-Robertson Act to support state and local outdoor recreational opportunities, and wildlife and habitat conservation efforts.

Today, the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies was excited to witness a passing vote on the House floor for the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (H.R. 2773). The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is the single most impactful wildlife conservation bill in a generation, benefiting our nature, outdoor recreation, our overall health, clean air and water and our economy. The final vote was 231 to 190 including Republicans and Democrats, highlighting the bipartisan support of this historic piece of legislation that would help expedite the recovery of thousands of at-risk species through proactive, collaborative conservation.

The Association was excited by last week’s announcement of a $1 billion America the Beautiful Challenge from the Biden-Harris Administration. This grant program will provide support for locally led ecosystem restoration projects that invest in watershed restoration, resilience, equitable access, workforce development, corridors and connectivity, and collaborative conservation, consistent with the America the Beautiful Initiative.

The Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies strongly supports introduction of the Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act, which will authorize historic funding to combat Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). Today, Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and John Hoeven (R-ND), along with 7 additional bipartisan cosponsors, introduced companion legislation to the House-passed version of the bill (HR 5608). If enacted, the bill would authorize up to $70 million annually to fund vital research into CWD and support management actions carried out by state and tribal wildlife agencies and their partners.

Today, the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies was excited to witness the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee markup to advance the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (S.2372). The Association applauds Chairman Carper (D-DE) and Ranking Member Capito (R-WV) for their leadership in bringing S.2372 up for a vote in the full committee and looks forward to working with members of the committee to advance this important legislation that has 32 bipartisan cosponsors toward final passage in the Senate.