A democrat-written bill that was designed to provide additional federal land access for public hunting and fishing was shot down this week. The bill also excluded lead for fishing and hunting from any environment regulation. What’s most surprising, the hunting bill was shot down by the GOP. Is this another partisan battle? Currently, it appears the Republicans took a stand against this public access bill only because of the riders and unclear the taxpayer cost.
If they can work out the cost and rider issues, then certainly more public hunting land access would be a good thing. How will this impact Texas hunters? It’s unclear at this point, especially since Texas is low of federal land. But there is definitely more land that will be available for public hunting in Texas if this bill ultimately passes.
Source: A wide-ranging bill to give hunters and fishermen more access to public lands stalled in the Senate Monday after Republicans said it spends too much money.
Republicans supported opening lands for outdoorsmen and many other provisions in the bill sponsored by Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, but GOP senators blocked the legislation on principle Monday evening in a mostly party-line procedural vote after Senate Budget Committee’s top Republican, Jeff Sessions of Alabama, objected to spending on conservation programs included in the bill.
The sportsmen’s bill would increase land access and allow hunters to bring home as trophies 41 polar bears killed in Canada before the government started protecting polar bears as a threatened species. The legislation would also exclude ammunition and tackle from federal environmental laws that regulate lead, allow bow hunters to cross federal land where public hunting isn’t allowed, encourage federal land agencies to help states maintain shooting ranges, boost fish populations and protect animal habitat.