Federal Affairs – Congress
Fix Our Forests Act
H.R.471 passed the U.S. House on January 23 on a strong bipartisan vote of 279-141 and has had two hearings in the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. The second was for the Senate companion S.1462 on May 6. There is bipartisan sponsorship, and it is expected to pass that committee soon and go to the floor where it will need 60 votes for passage. The Senate version has some differences from the House version, but the main priorities for RMEF remain intact: ‘Cottonwood Fix,’ expanded categorical exclusions, bolstered Good Neighbor and litigation restrictions. With fire season approaching a path to 60 votes seems possible, and RMEF members are encouraged to reach out to their Senators to sponsor the bill and vote “yes.”
Migration Corridors, Wildlife Movement Through Partnerships Act
This bill has been put on the back burner while Congress deals with other issues, but a bipartisan draft is ready for introduction that would codify Secretarial Order 3362 and create congressional authorization for funding state migration grants and continued mapping efforts. These funding efforts have been done by executive action pulling from agency budgets in the past. In the current environment, explicit congressional authority and appropriations are the only way to ensure the program persists. RMEF presented its priorities on migration in March to a Congressional Sportsmen Foundation policy briefing.
EAJA and Other Litigation Reform
RMEF provided Congress with several potential provisions to save money by restricting lawsuits and settlements, including revisions to the Equal Access to Justice Act. The reconciliation provisions from the House Judiciary included a prohibition on settlements beyond actual damages and requiring a security bond for litigants who seek injunctions. Meanwhile, the Department of Interior and Department of Justice have recently pushed back against EAJA payments, with a recent $1.5 million request from Michigan Indian tribes being countered with an offer of $50,000, indicating that the administration is taking these concerns seriously.
Land Sales Amendment in Reconciliation
RMEF had reviewed the reconciliation bill to ensure there were no large public lands sales provisions, but an amendment offered in the committee markup by Rep. Amodei of Nevada included an explicit provision for approximately 11,000 acres across several Nevada and Utah counties, including rural Pershing County in Nevada and Beaver County in Utah. At writing, it is uncertain if a move to strip the provision from a final budget bill will happen.
Public Lands Caucus. RMEF endorsed the formation of a Public Lands Caucus led by Representatives Ryan Zinke of Montana and Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico. This bipartisan effort is an effort to build a bipartisan bulwark to protect public lands from divestment and transfer. Zinke and Vasquez are also pushing legislation H.R 718 entitled Public Lands in Public Hands Act that RMEF also supports.
Federal Affairs- Administration
DOGE, Staffing Cuts
Targets of 25% to 30% staff reductions at the U.S. Forest Service and the agencies within the Department of Interior already resulted in tens of thousands of employees resigning, retiring or being laid off. Because the details of these staffing changes are in constant flux, it is difficult to report specifics here, but RMEF is working with federal agencies to ensure that the core habitat and resource missions will be fulfilled.
Grizzly Bear Rule. RMEF is joining other partners in submitting comments on the Biden era proposed grizzly rule that would drastically change the distinct population segment rule, and which most observers believe would make delisting recovered population in the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide impossible in the near future. With the new administration, the proposal may be withdrawn or significantly altered.
State Affairs
Montana legislative session
No bill RMEF opposed made it into law, and nine of 10 bills we actively supported were transmitted to the governor for signature. We helped protect voluntary conservation agreements (conservation easements), broadened conservation funding from marijuana revenues, improved and expanded Block Management and expanded big game highway crossing efforts. Selling raffle tickets via credit cards is now legal as of this summer.
Wyoming legislative session
RMEF and partners helped protect voluntary conservation agreements, headed off grizzly bear provisions that would have hurt delisting and defeated a resolution calling for the wholesale transfer of federal lands to the state.
Colorado legislative session and initiatives
RMEF helped renew the state Habitat Stamp, our top state habitat priority. We also testified before the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Commission, which agreed and unanimously adopted recommendations for the 2025 hunting season. Several bad gun bills passed, including a modified assault weapons bill. Extremists filed a potential new ballot initiative that would create an alternative commission to CPW and would be designed around protecting “keystone” species, which is code for wolves and mountain lions, among other troubling measures. It does not appear to be a serious threat at this point but could become one.
Washington legislative session
The legislature drastically raised hunting and fishing fees to fill a general fund deficit, which may actually benefit the clout of sportsmen moving forward as we increase our level of direct support of the agency from 30% to nearer a majority of the budget. Governor Ferguson also appointed three supportive commissioners, undoing some of the damage his predecessor did with anti-hunting appointees.
Oregon legislative session
Gun bills are still pending, as is the state budget which will probably include a fee increase to fill budget holes. Again, sportsmen’s financial clout will make up a larger part of the agency budget. RMEF testified on several gun and wildlife bills, advocating against regulations that will make fundraising more difficult, and in favor of chronic wasting disease management and testing efforts. Our highway crossings policy bill has been signed into law, creating the structure for a state program if it is funded.
Arizona
A petition to the game commission by Center for Biological Diversity and others would have banned hunting all mammals with dogs, including rabbits, bears and cougars. RMEF members signed a petition and our state volunteer chair testified in opposition. The measure was defeated on a unanimous vote.
Calls to Action
Since the beginning of 2025, 2,890 RMEF members and supporters sent 7,217 messages to 646 policymakers. We appreciate it when members take a few minutes to send messages to policymakers because it means more when constituents talk to their elected officials.