HR142INTRODUCED
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HR142
V7MTKPL-1
By Representatives Crawford, Whitt, Blackshear, Mr.Speaker,
Standridge, Mooney, Bolton, Easterbrook, Stubbs, Jackson,
Travis, Sells, Baker, Ingram, Stringer, Yarbrough, Colvin,
Ellis, Rigsby, Hammett, Sorrells, Rehm, Marques, Brown, Smith,
Whorton, Brinyark, Kirkland
RFD:
First Read: 18-Mar-25
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9 V7MTKPL-1 03/12/2025 LMG (L)lmg 2025-1199
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First Read: 18-Mar-25
HR____ COMMEMORATING THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SPORT FISH
RESTORATION PROGRAM AS PART OF THE AMERICAN SYSTEM OF
CONSERVATION FUNDING.
WHEREAS, more than a century ago, hunters and anglers
were among the first conservationists who realized America's
natural resources were in peril and could not sustain
unregulated harvest and habitat destruction; and
WHEREAS, sports men and women took it upon themselves
to support laws that stopped excessive harvesting of fish
and wildlife; established state agencies to protect fish,
wildlife, and their habitats; and supported special fishing
and hunting license fees to help fund the new agencies'
efforts to provide healthy natural resources for future
generations; and
WHEREAS, the House of Representatives then and now
recognizes that the primary authority to protect and manage
fish within their state waters resides in state agencies;
and
WHEREAS, upon realizing that license fees alone were
insufficient to restore and sustain healthy fish
populations, anglers supported excise taxes on fishing
equipment to raise additional funds to support restoration
and enhancement efforts of the state agencies; and
WHEREAS, the Sport Fish Restoration Program, which
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WHEREAS, the Sport Fish Restoration Program, which
began 75 years ago with the passage of the Federal Aid in
Sport Fish Restoration Act in 1950, further expanded with
the Wallop-Breaux amendment to the Sport Fish Restoration
Act in 1984, is a vital part of conservation funding in the
United States; and
WHEREAS, a manufacturer's excise tax on fishing
equipment, along with an excise tax on motorboat and small
engine fuels, is mostly distributed back to the states
through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for fisheries
conservation, management, and angler and boater access; and
WHEREAS, this cooperative partnership among the
sportfishing industry, anglers, boaters, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, and state natural resource agencies has
resulted in the most successful model of fisheries
management in the world, restoring and enhancing populations
across the United States and its territories; and
WHEREAS, since 1939, the combined contribution of the
Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs and license
fees to state fish and wildlife agencies exceeds $78
billion, more than any other single conservation effort in
American history, which constitutes, collectively, the
American System of Conservation Funding; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA, That the House of Representatives
recognizes America's anglers, boaters, the sportfishing
industry, state fish and wildlife agencies, and the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service for their leading role in
restoring healthy populations of fish and aquatic resources,
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restoring healthy populations of fish and aquatic resources,
both game and non-game, to the abundance we see today with
the help of the Sport Fish Restoration Program, in this the
75th anniversary year of the program's establishment as part
of the American System of Conservation Funding.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That an official copy of this
resolution be provided to the Alabama Department of
Conservation & Natural Resources, all Alabama Congressional
offices, and local, regional, and national media sources so
that all may know and appreciate the foresight and
contributions from anglers, the sportfishing industry, state
fish and wildlife agencies, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service on behalf of our nation's fisheries and aquatic
resources.
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