[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 132 (Monday, September 28, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H9094-H9095]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      MIGRATORY BIRD HUNTING AND CONSERVATION STAMP PROMOTION ACT

  Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4248) to authorize the use of receipts from the sale of the 
Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamps to promote additional 
stamp purchases, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 4248

       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 ``Migratory Bird Hunting and 
     Conservation Stamp Promotion Act''.

     SEC. 2. PROMOTION OF STAMP SALES.

       (a) In General.--Section 4 of the Act of March 16, 1934 
     (chapter 71; 16 U.S.C. 718d), popularly known as the 
     Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act, is amended--
       (1) in subsection (b) by striking ``subsection (c)'' and 
     inserting ``subsections (c) and (d)''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(d) Promotion of Stamp Sales.--(1) The Secretary of the 
     Interior may utilize funds from the sale of migratory-bird 
     hunting and conservation stamps, not to exceed $1,000,000 in 
     each of fiscal years 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003, for 
     the promotion of additional sales of those stamps, in 
     accordance with a Migratory Bird Conservation Commission-
     approved annual marketing plan. Such promotion shall include 
     the preparation of reports, brochures, or other appropriate 
     materials to be made available to the public that describe 
     the benefits to wildlife derived from stamp sales.
       ``(2) The Secretary of the Interior shall include in each 
     annual report of the Commission under section 3 of the 
     Migratory Bird Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 715b) a 
     description of activities conducted under this subsection in 
     the year covered by the report.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Saxton) and the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. 
Faleomavaega) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Saxton).

                              {time}  1230

  Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4248, the Migratory 
Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Promotion Act. This bill was 
introduced primarily by our colleague the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Cunningham), who has done such a great job and has been such a 
great advocate of the bill. He is the primary reason that we are here 
today.
  Joining him is of course the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), 
the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Tanner), and the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon), who also were very, very hard workers on the 
bill.
  The bill was the subject of a subcommittee hearing on July 16th. At 
that time, every witness testified in strong support of trying to 
promote additional duck stamp purchases. In fact, the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, which has endorsed the bill, testified that 
additional opportunities to increase revenues to the Migratory Bird 
Conservation Fund from increased duck stamp sales do exist, and this 
bill is a good route to get that done.
  Since Congress approved the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act of 1934, 
every waterfowl hunter 16 years and older has been required to purchase 
a valid Federal duck stamp. The cost of the stamp has increased from $1 
to its present cost of $15. These funds, which exceed a total of $500 
million, have been used to purchase some 5 million acres of prime 
wildlife habitat. This habitat is essential to literally millions of 
migratory birds.
  Unfortunately, the sale of duck stamps has declined in recent years. 
In fact, nearly 1 million less duck stamps were sold last year than two 
decades ago.
  H.R. 4248 is designed to reverse that trend. Under the terms of this 
legislation, up to $1 million per year in duck stamp receipts would be 
spent to create a promotional program to increase the sale of duck 
stamps. This promotional program would be crafted to appeal to a 
growing number of bird watchers, wildlife artists, stamp collectors, 
and those Americans who simply enjoy wildlife.
  If successful, this program will generate millions of dollars in new 
revenues which would be used to buy additional waterfowl habitat in the 
United States.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill is strongly supported by many conservation 
organizations, including Ducks Unlimited, the Izaak Walton League, and 
the Wildlife Legislative Fund of America.
  I urge an ``aye'' vote on the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, again, my sincere thanks and appreciation to the 
chairman of the Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and 
Oceans, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Saxton) for bringing this 
legislation to the floor. I also want to commend my good friend the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham) for his primary sponsorship 
of this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I might add, this does have bipartisan support, 
especially friends from this side of the aisle, the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Dingell) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Tanner).
  Mr. Speaker, the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp 
Promotion Act is a sound piece of legislation. This bill will allow the 
Fish and Wildlife Service to spend $1 million a year in revenues from 
the migratory bird hunting stamp to promote sales of those stamps to a 
broader range of users, including bird watchers, photographers, and 
other conservationists.
  It is estimated that as many as 25 million Americans enjoy observing 
birds and spend as much as $20 billion a year to do so. They travel to 
see over 800 species of birds that reside in the United States. I might 
add, Mr. Speaker, I invite all my fellow Americans and bird watchers of 
America to come and observe the only bat that flies during the day like 
a bird, and it is the flying fox in the Samoan Islands.
  Many of these birds are undergoing serious conservation problems. 
These problems are no less serious than the declines of game birds in 
the 1920s which inspired hunters, conservationists and Federal 
lawmakers to pass the Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 1929. That 
act, Mr. Speaker, authorized the duck stamp program.
  Since that time, Mr. Speaker, the program has been enormously 
successful and has helped protect some 5 million acres of land for 
habitat. Many waterfowl populations have recovered tremendously. 
Millions of acres of habitat have been protected. But even as duck 
stamp sales to hunters have began to level off, the need to continue to 
acquire and protect habitat for wildlife has increased tremendously.
  Mr. Speaker, an amendment in this bill would encourage the Fish and 
Wildlife Service to describe the benefits to wildlife which are derived 
from the sales of these stamps. By demonstrating to bird watchers and 
conservationists just how these funds contribute to the recovery and 
relief of some of the many species of wildlife which continue to 
decline, the Service can be assured of finding a growing number of 
Americans who are willing to contribute to the protection of habitat 
for their future.
  I am confident that the Fish and Wildlife Service, Mr. Speaker, and 
the conservation community can work together to make this bill a 
success and continue to protect valuable habitat for all of those who 
enjoy this Nation's natural resources.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and, 
again, I commend my good friend, the gentleman from California, for his 
prime sponsorship of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve will balance of my time.
  Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from San Diego, California (Mr. Cunningham) who has worked so 
hard and in such a dedicated way to

[[Page H9095]]

sponsor this bill and bring it to the floor.
  (Mr. CUNNINGHAM asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I think if you take a look at what this 
entire subcommittee and committee has done this year, it is very, very 
noteworthy; from a disabled bill, to a tuna-dolphin bill, as well as 
future legislation, in a bipartisan way. It is gratifying when we have 
so many bad days, ``bad hair'' days here in Congress, that this 
subcommittee and committee has ``good hair'' days for us, and I 
appreciate it.
  The gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega), see, that is 
not bad for an Irish kid from northern L.A., but I would like to thank 
him for his support for this.
  Who I would really like to thank is a staffer named Tim Charters. Tim 
has poured his life and his lifeblood into this. Here is a young man 
that knew very little about conservation and the outdoors; and in the 
last 2 years, I cannot keep him out of the woods, and I cannot keep him 
out from looking and working in conservation programs. So I would like 
to thank Tim Charters.
  I thank the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Tanner), the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Dingell), and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Weldon), that have helped make this possible, and the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest) in the full committee, along with the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone). It is gratifying.
  But I will not reiterate some of the things that my colleague, the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Saxton), chairman of the committee, has 
said, but this money used from the duck stamp is basically used to buy 
property for conservation.
  In every State, we have lands where there is MSP or whether we are 
trying to connect lands so that critters can grow and have a quarter to 
prosper, there is never enough funds. With a dwindling of the duck 
stamp, we are looking for new ways to generate revenue.
  The duck stamp group had, there is precedence for this because what 
they have done in the past is even made quilts and got a contract to 
make quilts with the duck stamp on it and other images of it, and we 
sell that to earn money to buy property for the environment and 
conservation programs like this one.
  So it is a good bill, and it is bipartisan. Very few people know that 
this entire program started in 1934, the duck stamp. It has been 
immensely popular and it has been successful and at the same time 
responsible.
  One supporter of this plan is Mr. James Mosher, a conservation 
director for the Izaak Walton League, who says this legislation will 
significantly increase revenue from duck sales, consequently leading to 
the enhancement of habitat acquisition and migratory bird conservation.
  We have some tremendous problems with migratory birds, for example, 
the Salton Sea in which the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Bono) is 
trying to save.
  Migratory birds are at risk. We need to protect them. Some of our 
wetlands are at risk. This bill helps that.
  I would like to submit the rest of my statement for the Record, and 
it is with gratification and much happiness that I support this bill, 
ask my colleagues to support it and want to personally thank them for 
all their help.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. I yield to the gentleman from American Samoa.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I would like to again thank the 
gentleman for his eloquent statement. Maybe something that our 
colleagues here in the House and even the American public do not know, 
but the fact is that watching birds is a $20 billion industry here in 
America.
  I want to say to my good friend, the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Cunningham), for myself, who actually experienced seeing these terns 
who come all the way from Alaska to Hawaii and even to my islands in 
Samoa, just to watch these little birds, it is amazing how these little 
birds can fly for such a tremendous distance.
  I am sure that my good friend, who is an excellent jet fighter pilot, 
can attest to the fact that it is amazing how nature and how these 
migratory birds can fly for so far and yet be so small in form. It is 
just amazing.
  I think it is an excellent way to promote that we need more funds, 
and I sincerely hope that this legislation will pass. Again, I want to 
commend the gentleman for yielding to me.
  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, this is a private/public partnership in 
which we engage, and I thank the gentleman.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Migratory Bird Hunting 
and Conservation Stamp Promotion Act (H.R. 4248). I am proud to be 
joined in this effort by my fellow Sportsmen's Caucus Co-Chairman John 
Tanner and Migratory Bird Conservation Committee members, 
Representative John Dingell and Representative Curt Weldon.
  This legislation will allow the Federal Duck Stamp office to use 
money from the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund (MBCF) to create an 
advertising program for the promotion of the federal duck stamp. This 
promotional program will be similar to the program used by the Postal 
Service to promote its stamp sales and stamp collecting.
  Since Congress created the Federal Duck Stamp in 1934, it has been 
one of America's most successful conservation initiatives. It has 
generated more than $500 million for the conservation of wildlife 
habitat. This money has permanently protected more than 5 million acres 
of prime wildlife habitat. This program is successful. It is also 
responsible, because it focuses 98 percent of the program's revenue to 
purchase habitat.
  H.R. 4248 is important because in recent years duck stamp sales have 
leveled off. Unless we find new ways to promote the Duck Stamp and 
generate additional revenues, the MBCF will be unable to keep pace with 
the increasing costs of purchasing land for conservation. By passing 
this legislation, the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission will be 
able to promote the benefits of the Federal Duck Stamp. In doing so, 
they will sell more stamps and generate more funds for habitat 
conservation.
  One supporter of this plan is Mr. James Mosher, Conservation Director 
for the Izaak Walton League, says this ``legislation will significantly 
increase revenue from stamp sales, consequently leading to enhancement 
of habitat acquisition and migratory bird conservation efforts.''
  This legislation has some precedence. In 1984, Congress allowed the 
Migratory Bird Conservation Committee to use MBCF funds to administer a 
program to license the image of the Duck Stamp. Today the Duck Stamp 
image is printed on products like throw rugs, T-shirts, ties, and other 
items. These licensing agreements generated $65 thousand in 1997, and 
more than $770 thousand since 1984. This additional funding has been 
added to the MBCF and useed to protect and preserve habitat.
  Mr. Chairman, one may ask whether money we use for the Duck Stamp 
promotion program wouldn't be better invested in habitat conservation. 
In fact, Ducks Unlimited, one of America's most prominent conservation 
organizations, addressed that exact issue in its letter of support for 
this legislation.
  Quoting from Mr. Scott Sutherland and Mr. Fred Abraham's letter, 
``While Ducks Unlimited is always concerned that the maximum amount of 
funds raised actually go into protecting habitat in the refuge system, 
we believe that this temporary set-aside for marketing will eventually 
lead to more funds being available for the refuge system.''
  This legislation is supported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
Federal Duck Stamp Office, Ducks Unlimited, the Wildlife Legislative 
Fund of America, and the Izaak Walton League.
  I urge my colleagues to join me and pass this legislation and 
preserve more of our nation's wildlife habitat.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I also have no additional speakers, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Saxton) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 4248, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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