Wrapping up the 118th Congress. Congress ended its biennial session in late December and showed that divided government (GOP House, Democratic Senate) without compromise is largely unproductive. A stripped-down continuing resolution funded government at previous levels, but without a reauthorization, several Farm Bill programs did not get funded, particularly the Voluntary Public Access Habitat Improvement Program (VPA-HIP) that provides federal matching dollars for state walk-in access programs. The Fix Our Forests Act which had strong bipartisan support passing the House was part of negotiations, including the RMEF top priority ‘Cottonwood Fix’, but was stymied by radical environmental interests in the Senate. What did pass in the closing days was the Explore Act, a wide-ranging set of recreation provisions including provisions requiring the development of shooting ranges within national forests, expanded Good Neighbor Authority and eased restrictions for filming on federal lands.
Previewing the 119th Congress. A new Congress started in January with a small Republican majority in the House and new Republican majority in the Senate. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee saw a great deal of change with a new chair Mike Lee (R-UT) and ranking member Martin Heinrich (D-NM) leading the panel. While energy issues had been prominent during the election, fires in California shifted a lot of policy interest to forest and brushland management which may mean that RMEF priorities like the Fix Our Forests Act may get traction earlier in the term. While the Senate will be focused on confirmation hearing for new administration officials, the House may take up some of the late year Biden administration executive action and rulemaking that can be undone via the Congressional Review Act.
New Presidential Administration. With a new Trump administration taking office January 20, there will be hundreds of new appointed leaders in the agencies RMEF works with. RMEF’s government affairs team is reaching out to these new appointees to advocate for elk, other wildlife, their habitat and our hunting heritage.
State Issues
Arizona commission petition to ban hunting with dogs. Anti-hunting interests in Arizona have petitioned the Arizona Game and Fish Commission to ban the use of dogs for all hunting of mammals in the state. This radical proposal is not based on any biological factors and would cast a wide net as it would ban the taking of squirrels and rabbits as well as bears and lions. RMEF is working with SCI and state-based organizations to mount a defense, but it appears that the proponents are gearing up for a ballot initiative fight, so defeating it at the commission level will probably not be the end.
North Dakota CWD Bills. Two years ago, legislation was narrowly defeated that would have prohibited the North Dakota Game and Fish Department (G&F) from restricting baiting for deer in CWD zones. That legislation is back this year in SB2137, and HB1236 would prevent G&F from using hunting license revenue to manage CWD efforts. These bills are particularly troubling because they undercut the scientific management of this deer and elk disease.
Montana. The state’s every-other-year legislature has hundreds of wildlife, hunting, habitat and land management bills this year. RMEF has a lobbyist that represents the organization in Helena and his marching orders are to protect and increase access to public lands, defend scientific and professional wildlife management authority at the Commission and at FWP, improve habitat quality and connectedness, and keep the state on track to get grizzly bear management authority by facilitating delisting. Funding for Habitat Montana and regulations impacting voluntary conservation agreements (conservation easements) will likely make headlines in the coming months. For specific bills visit the RMEF.org advocacy page.
Wyoming. Wyoming has a high percentage of new House members following the 2024 elections, including new leadership. That requires hunters to engage with their legislators to explain how the North American Model of Wildlife Management works, and the important role that hunters play in the system. The state has more than 2.4 million acres of public land that are “corner locked” and inaccessible and recent high-profile corner-crossing trespassing trials failed to provide a clear policy. HB99 has been introduced to explicitly make the process of crossing from one piece of accessible land to another at a connecting corner legal. To find your legislators and send them a message, go to the elected officials directory at RMEF.org.
Colorado. While Colorado voters delivered an important win by defeating the anti-hunting Proposition 127, the legislature did not improve for sportsmen, and the Parks and Wildlife Commission remains problematic. Facing budget deficits and significant cuts to the Department of Natural Resources budget, as well as wolf depredation claims of more than $500,000, a group of citizen ranchers petitioned the CPW commission to delay further wolf introductions for a year. That petition was denied on a 10-1 vote. CPW has since received a shipment of wolves from British Columbia, Canada. It is unclear if the new presidential administration will allow future imports of Canadian wolves. On the legislative front, RMEF is strongly advocating for the reauthorization of the Wildlife Habitat Stamp program in SB49, which is set to expire in 2027.
Indiana. A very troubling scheme first proposed in Oklahoma in 2023 has now appeared in Indiana. SB32 and HB1417 have been introduced to try to selectively breed deer in captivity for resistance to CWD and then release those deer into the wild. The list of questions that this scheme creates is too long to detail here, but the unintended consequences, risks and cost of this proposal should scare legislators.
Right to Hunt and Fish Amendments. Following passage of Florida’s Right to Hunt and Fish Amendment in 2024, we expect several states to explore that issue this session. Iowa and Missouri already had bills drop, and polling by RMEF and other hunting groups in Oregon shows public support among voters is very strong. The coalition of hunting organizations was polling Oregon because anti-hunting extremists are still ostensibly collecting signatures for a radical ban on hunting, fishing, livestock slaughter, pest control, rodeos and many veterinary practices. That ballot measure does not poll well.