[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 66 Introduced in Senate (IS)]


109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. CON. RES. 66

Affirming that the intent of Congress in passing the National Wildlife 
Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 was to allow hunting and fishing 
on public land within the National Wildlife Refuge System and declaring 
 that the purpose of reserving certain land as public land is to make 
         the land available to the public for reasonable uses.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             November 2005

  Mr. Vitter submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
       referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Affirming that the intent of Congress in passing the National Wildlife 
Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 was to allow hunting and fishing 
on public land within the National Wildlife Refuge System and declaring 
 that the purpose of reserving certain land as public land is to make 
         the land available to the public for reasonable uses.

Whereas hunting and fishing have a long and distinguished history in the United 
        States;
Whereas hunting and fishing remain an important part of the lifestyle and 
        culture of people from many different areas of the country and from all 
        walks of life;
Whereas sportsmen and sportswomen have worked for decades to ensure that public 
        land and other land that is used for hunting and fishing is cared for, 
        protected, and preserved;
Whereas the land that makes up the National Wildlife Refuge System has been 
        widely used for hunting, fishing, and other sporting purposes;
Whereas in 1997, Congress passed the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement 
        Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-57; 111 Stat. 1252), which clearly and 
        directly stated that hunting and fishing, as wildlife-dependent 
        recreational activities, could be considered compatible uses of public 
        land, including land within the National Wildlife Refuge System; and
Whereas the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 (Public Law 
        105-57; 111 Stat. 1252) passed by a vote of 419-1, demonstrating the 
        nonpartisan nature of the legislation and the tremendous amount of 
        support the legislation enjoyed: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That--
            (1) in passing the National Wildlife Refuge System 
        Improvement Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-57; 111 Stat. 1252), 
        Congress demonstrated its clear intent to allow hunting and 
        fishing on the public land within the National Wildlife Refuge 
        System;
            (2) the intent of Congress has not changed in any way since 
        the date of enactment of that Act, and any assumption to the 
        contrary is misguided and misinterprets the clear intent of 
        Congress; and
            (3) the general purpose of reserving certain land as public 
        land, including the land within the National Wildlife Refuge 
        System, is to make the land available to the public for 
        reasonable uses, including hunting, fishing, other wildlife-
        dependent sports, and other outdoor purposes.
                                 <all>