[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 176 (Tuesday, December 9, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S16140]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 279--RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF 
SPORTSMEN TO AMERICAN SOCIETY, SUPPORTING THE TRADITIONS AND VALUES OF 
 SPORTSMEN, AND RECOGNIZING THE MANY ECONOMIC BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH 
                      OUTDOOR SPORTING ACTIVITIES

  Mr. COLEMAN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Environment and Public Works:

                              S. Res. 279

       Whereas there are more than 38,000,000 sportsmen in the 
     United States;
       Whereas these sportsmen, who come from all walks of life, 
     engage in a sport they love, while helping to stimulate the 
     economy, especially in small, rural communities, and 
     contributing to conservation efforts;
       Whereas sportsmen demonstrate values of conservation, 
     appreciation of the outdoors, and love of the natural beauty 
     of the United States;
       Whereas sporting activities have both physical and mental 
     health benefits that allow Americans to escape from the fast 
     pace of their lives and to spend time with their families and 
     friends;
       Whereas sportsmen pass down their love of the outdoors from 
     generation to generation;
       Whereas many sportsmen consider hunting, trapping, and 
     fishing of tremendous importance to the American way of life;
       Whereas sportsmen have a passion for learning about nature 
     and have tremendous respect for the game pursued, other 
     sportsmen, the non-hunting populace, and the natural 
     resources upon which they depend;
       Whereas the total economic contribution of sportsmen 
     amounts to $70,000,000,000 annually, with a ripple effect 
     amounting to $179,000,000,000;
       Whereas sportsmen contribute $1,700,000,000 every year for 
     conservation programs, and these funds constitute a 
     significant portion of on-the-ground wildlife conservation 
     funding;
       Whereas anglers support 1,000,000 jobs and small businesses 
     in communities in every part of the United States, and they 
     purchase $3,200,000,000 in basic fishing equipment every 
     year;
       Whereas tens of millions of Americans hunt and are a 
     substantial economic force, spending $21,000,000,000 every 
     year;
       Whereas a sportsman President, Theodore Roosevelt, 
     established America's first National Wildlife Refuge 100 
     years ago, and with the committed support of sportsmen over 
     the last century, the National Wildlife Refuge System 
     includes more than 540 refuges spanning 95,000,000 acres 
     throughout all 50 States;
       Whereas the funds raised from sportsmen through purchases 
     of Federal migratory bird hunting and conservation stamps 
     under the Act of March 16, 1934 (commonly known as the Duck 
     Stamp Act) (16 U.S.C. 718a et seq.), are used to purchase and 
     restore vital wetlands in the refuge system;
       Whereas the sale of those stamps has raised more than 
     $500,000,000 which has been used to acquire approximately 
     5,000,000 acres of refuge lands;
       Whereas in 1937, Congress passed the Pittman-Robertson 
     Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669 et seq.), under which 
     sportsmen and the firearms and ammunition industries agreed 
     to a self-imposed 10 percent excise tax on ammunition and 
     firearms, the proceeds of which are distributed to the States 
     for wildlife restoration;
       Whereas the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act has 
     created a source of permanent funding for State wildlife 
     agencies that has been used to rebuild and expand the ranges 
     of numerous species, including wild turkey, white-tailed 
     deer, pronghorn antelope, wood duck, beaver, black bear, 
     American elk, bison, desert bighorn sheep, bobcat, and 
     mountain lion, and several non-game species, including bald 
     eagles, sea otters, and numerous song birds;
       Whereas in 1950, Congress passed the Dingell-Johnson Sport 
     Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 777 et seq.), under which 
     recreational anglers and the fishing and tackle manufacturing 
     industries agreed to a self-imposed 10 percent excise tax on 
     sport fishing equipment (including fishing rods, reels, 
     lines, and hooks, artificial lures, baits and flies, and 
     other fishing supplies and accessories), the proceeds of 
     which are used for the purposes of constructing fish 
     hatcheries, building boat access facilities, promoting 
     fishing, and educating children about aquatic resources and 
     fishing; and
       Whereas the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act was 
     amended in 1984 to extend the excise tax to previously 
     untaxed items of sport fishing equipment and to dedicate a 
     portion of the existing Federal tax on motorboat fuels to 
     those purposes, so that now approximately \1/3\ of the funds 
     expended by State fish and wildlife agencies for maintenance 
     and development of sports fisheries are collected through the 
     use of the excise tax: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the importance and contributions of 
     sportsmen to American society;
       (2) supports the traditions and values of sportsmen;
       (3) supports the many conservation programs implemented by 
     sportsmen;
       (4) recognizes the many economic benefits associated with 
     outdoor sporting activities; and
       (5) recognizes the importance of encouraging the 
     recruitment of, and teaching the traditions of hunting, 
     trapping, and fishing to, future sportsmen.

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