Action Alert: Support H.R. 925, America’s Conservation Enhancement Act

H.R. 925, America’s Conservation Enhancement Act, was unanimously passed on the Senate Floor on January 9, 2020 and will now be heard in the House of Representatives. H.R. 925 is aptly named - it hosts a number of strong conservation provisions that will enhance wildlife habitat and management, provide funding for chronic wasting disease (CWD) and recruit, reactivate and retain hunters. These provisions include:

• Reauthorization of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA). Reauthorization will allocate $60 million to wetlands conservation through the year 2025. Since its original passage, NAWCA has conserved and improved more than 30 million acres of wetland habitat - a huge conservation success.
• Establishment of a Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) task force. The CWD task force would be led by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and would be designed to addressed the spread of CWD by coordinating research, surveillance and management among the states. Currently, 26 states have had deer, elk and/or moose test positive for CWD.
• Modernization of the Pittman-Robertson Fund. Modernization would bring the beloved Pittman-Robertson Act into modern times with language that allows for more flexible state spending. If signed into law, Pittman-Robertson funds could be used for campaigns and initiatives to recruit new hunters, reactive those who have stopped, and retain those hunters still heading afield.

“NDA will always support the expansion of wildlife habitat and management efforts, funding for wildlife disease research and coordination, and efforts to recruit, reactivate and retain hunters. H.R. 925 bolsters all of these priority areas via strong conservation provisions,” said NDA policy and outreach coordinator, Torin Miller. He added, “Passage of the bill in the House would be more than a win for sportsmen and women; it would be a major win for wildlife and wild places.”

The National Deer Alliance (NDA) prioritizes deer conservation, state and federal land management, deer diseases and hunter access and growth. H.R. 925’s inclusion of these priority areas, as well as many others, and passage in the Senate is a huge bipartisan success. Join NDA in supporting passage of H.R. 925 in the House by visiting the NDA Grassroots Advocacy Center, where you can place your vote of support on the bill and directly email your Representatives.