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STATE OF OKLAHOMA
1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
HOUSE
RESOLUTION 1023 By: Archer
AS INTRODUCED
A Resolution commemorating the 75 th anniversary of
the Sport Fish Restoration Program ; and directing
distribution.
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, sportsmen and women took it upon themselves to support
laws that stopped excessive harvest 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 prov ide healthy natural
resources for future generations; and
WHEREAS, the Oklahoma House of Representatives then and now
recognizes that the primary authority to protect and manage fish
within their state waters resides with the state agencies; and
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WHEREAS, upon realizing that license fees alone were
insufficient to restore and sustain healt hy 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 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 between the sportfishing
industry, anglers, boaters, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and
state natural resource agencies has resulted in the m ost 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 Sport Fish
Restoration Program and license fees to state fish and wildlife
agencies exceeds $78 Billion – more than any other single
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conservation effort in American history - which constitute,
collectively, the American System of Conservation Funding .
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE S
OF THE 1ST SESSION OF THE 60TH OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE:
THAT the Oklahoma House of Re presentatives 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,
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 A merican System
of Conservation Funding .
THAT an official copy of this resolution be provided to the
Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission, all Oklahoma
Congressional offices, and local, regional , and national media
sources so that all may know and appr eciate 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.
60-1-13626 JL 04/25/25