[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1443 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1443

To protect the use of traditional hunting and fishing implements and to 
prevent unnecessary and unwarranted restrictions on the implements used 
                by the hunting and fishing communities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 8, 2011

Mr. Broun of Georgia (for himself, Mr. Boren, Mr. Ross of Arkansas, Mr. 
 Altmire, Mr. Matheson, Mr. Bishop of Utah, Mr. Rehberg, Ms. Jenkins, 
  and Mr. Miller of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the 
 Committees on Energy and Commerce and Agriculture, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To protect the use of traditional hunting and fishing implements and to 
prevent unnecessary and unwarranted restrictions on the implements used 
                by the hunting and fishing communities.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Outdoor Sports Protection Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) millions of Americans of all ages enjoy recreational 
        fishing, sport shooting, and hunting;
            (2) those millions of anglers, sport shooters, and hunters 
        are the primary source of funding for Federal and State 
        wildlife and habitat conservation and management;
            (3) lead and other types of traditional fishing, shooting, 
        and hunting implements have been used by Americans for hundreds 
        of years;
            (4) alternative forms of sinkers and fishing lures are 
        considerably more expensive than those made of traditional 
        materials; consequently, a ban on traditional fishing 
        implements would decrease fishing participation and impose 
        significant additional costs on millions of Americans who fish;
            (5) alternative forms of ammunition and ammunition 
        components are considerably more expensive than those made of 
        traditional materials, and can be difficult if not impossible 
        to obtain; consequently, a ban on traditional ammunition would 
        decrease participation in the shooting sports and impose 
        significant costs on the millions of American hunters and sport 
        shooters;
            (6) any reduction in participation in fishing, hunting, and 
        the shooting sports would greatly affect funding for Federal 
        and State wildlife and habitat conservation; and
            (7) voluntary programs by hunters to reduce lead use have 
        largely been successful, and in the absence of more definitive 
        evidence of harm to the environment the Federal Government 
        should not take steps to restrict the use of traditional 
        hunting and fishing implements.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Traditional hunting and fishing implement.--The term 
        ``traditional hunting and fishing implement'' means any--
                    (A) firearm;
                    (B) ammunition;
                    (C) ammunition component;
                    (D) fishing lure;
                    (E) fishing sinker or weight; and
                    (F) fishing line;
        that contains lead, zinc, copper, or brass.
            (2) Federal public land.--
                    (A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph 
                (B), the term ``Federal public land'' means any land or 
                water that is--
                            (i) owned by the United States; and
                            (ii) managed by the Department of the 
                        Interior or the Department of Agriculture for 
                        purposes that include the conservation of 
                        natural resources.
                    (B) Exclusion.--The term ``Federal public land'' 
                does not include any land or water held in trust for 
                the benefit of--
                            (i) a federally recognized Indian tribe; or
                            (ii) a member of a federally recognized 
                        Indian tribe.

SEC. 4. PROTECTION OF TRADITIONAL HUNTING AND FISHING IMPLEMENT.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
Agency shall not take action to prohibit or otherwise restrict, based 
on material content, the manufacture, importation, sale, or use of any 
traditional hunting and fishing implement.
    (b) Report.--If the Administrator determines that the best 
scientific evidence available demonstrates that the use of any 
traditional hunting and fishing implement is having or will have a 
substantially detrimental effect on the environment, the Administrator 
shall report those findings to Congress, with any recommendation that 
the Administrator may have for legislative action.

SEC. 5. LIMITATION ON DEPARTMENTS OF THE INTERIOR AND AGRICULTURE.

    (a) In General.--Subject to section 7, the Department of the 
Interior and the Department of Agriculture, including each agency and 
bureau of such Departments, shall not newly prohibit or limit, based on 
material content, the use of any traditional hunting and fishing 
implement on Federal public lands.
    (b) Report.--If the Secretary of the Interior or Secretary 
Agriculture determines that the best scientific evidence available 
demonstrates that the use of traditional hunting and fishing equipment 
is having or will have a substantially detrimental effect on the 
sustainability of a local fish or wildlife population, the Secretary 
shall report those findings to Congress, with any recommendation that 
the Secretary or Secretaries may have for legislative action.

SEC. 6. STATE COMPLIANCE.

    Subject to section 7, no State or territory of the United States 
shall be eligible for any funding or apportionment under the Pittman-
Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669 et seq.) or the 
Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 777 et seq.) if 
the State or territory prohibits or otherwise restricts, based on 
material content, the sale or use of any traditional hunting and 
fishing implement.

SEC. 7. EXCEPTIONS.

    Nothing in this Act affects the Department of the Interior's, 
Department of Agriculture's, a State's, or a territory's authority to 
prohibit or limit, based on material content, the types of traditional 
hunting and fishing implements used for hunting and fishing to the 
extent a specific law or regulation is in effect on the date of 
enactment of this Act.
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