[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 203 (Monday, December 11, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H6751-H6752]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  DUCK STAMP MODERNIZATION ACT OF 2023

  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (S. 788) to amend the Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act of 2013 
to allow States to issue fully electronic stamps under that Act, and 
for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                 S. 788

       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 ``Duck Stamp Modernization Act 
     of 2023''.

     SEC. 2. AUTHORIZING FULLY ELECTRONIC STAMPS.

       (a) In General.--Section 5 of the Permanent Electronic Duck 
     Stamp Act of 2013 (16 U.S.C. 718r) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)--
       (A) in the subsection heading, by striking ``Actual Stamp'' 
     and inserting ``Electronic Stamp'';
       (B) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking ``an 
     actual stamp'' and inserting ``the electronic stamp''; and
       (C) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
       ``(1) on the date of purchase of the electronic stamp; 
     and'';
       (2) in subsection (c), by striking ``actual stamps'' and 
     inserting ``actual stamps under subsection (e)'';
       (3) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (f); and
       (4) by inserting after subsection (d) the following:
       ``(e) Delivery of Actual Stamps.--The Secretary shall issue 
     an actual stamp after March 10 of each year to each 
     individual that purchased an electronic stamp for the 
     preceding waterfowl season.''.
       (b) Contents of Electronic Stamp.--Section 2 of the 
     Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act of 2013 (16 U.S.C. 718o) 
     is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``Federal'' and all that 
     follows through ``that is printed'' and inserting ``Migratory 
     Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp required under the 
     Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act (16 U.S.C. 
     718a et seq.) that is printed''; and
       (2) in paragraph (3)--
       (A) in subparagraph (D), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (B) in subparagraph (E), by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting ``; and''; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(F) may contain an image of the actual stamp.''.
       (c) Stamp Valid Through Close of Hunting Season.--Section 6 
     of the Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act of 2013 (16 U.S.C. 
     718s) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (b), in the matter preceding paragraph 
     (1), by striking ``shall, during the effective period of the 
     electronic stamp--'' and inserting ``shall--''; and
       (2) in subsection (c), by striking ``for a period agreed to 
     by the State and the Secretary, which shall not exceed 45 
     days'' and inserting ``through the first June 30 that occurs 
     after the date of issuance of the electronic stamp by the 
     State''.
       (d) Electronic Stamps as Permit.--Section 1(a)(1) of the 
     Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act (16 U.S.C. 
     718a(a)(1)) is amended--
       (1) by inserting ``as an electronic stamp (as defined in 
     section 2 of the Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act of 2013 
     (16 U.S.C. 718o)) or'' after ``Conservation Stamp,''; and
       (2) by striking ``face of the stamp'' and inserting ``face 
     of the actual stamp (as defined in that section)''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Hoyle) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on S. 788, the bill now under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arkansas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 788, sponsored by my friend and 
fellow Razorback, Senator John Boozman from Arkansas. This bill makes 
commonsense improvements to wildlife regulations by modernizing how 
waterfowl hunters across the country can purchase a Federal duck stamp.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves), who 
had a companion bill in the House that went through our committee.
  The Federal duck stamp was first created when President Franklin 
Delano Roosevelt signed the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act into law 
in 1934. The law required waterfowl and other migratory bird hunters, 
ages 16 and over, to purchase and possess a valid duck stamp prior to 
taking migratory waterfowl.
  Current law requires hunters to physically possess a signed duck 
stamp while hunting for any migratory waterfowl. Even in States where 
electronic licensing is used, a signed physical duck stamp is required.
  Mr. Speaker, on my mobile phone, I have the Arkansas Game and Fish 
Commission hunting app. Right here, front and center, I have my Federal 
duck stamp electronically. Technically, I would be breaking the law if 
a game warden approached me when I was hunting and this is all that I 
had. I still have to carry my little duck stamps in my pocket that are 
signed, both the State and Federal duck stamps.
  This bill would modernize that program so that these electronic duck 
stamps would suffice if you were approached by a game warden.
  S. 788 modernizes the program by removing the 45-day requirement to 
have a physical duck stamp and allowing States the option to sell 
electronic duck stamps for the entirety of the hunting season.
  Under this bill, purchasers would still receive the physical stamp at 
the end of their State waterfowl season, therefore preserving the long 
legacy of the Federal duck stamp for generations to come.
  This is a good governance approach that will continue the unmatched 
American tradition of wildlife conservation through sportsmen 
participation.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Garret Graves of Louisiana for his 
tireless work on this issue. He sponsored the House companion to S. 
788. After today, this legislation is one step closer to becoming law.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. HOYLE of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the duck stamp, or Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and 
Conservation Stamp, is the only Federal conservation revenue stamp. 
This means that 98 percent of the sale price is used to purchase 
conservation easements and to acquire wetland habitats for the National 
Wildlife Refuge System.
  The duck stamp also provides an opportunity to showcase wildlife art, 
with the Fish and Wildlife Service hosting an art competition each year 
and the winning piece selected for next year's design.
  Sportsmen and women, artists, and conservationists purchase duck 
stamps as a collectible to cover entry fees to any National Wildlife 
Refuge System unit, as a hunting license, or as a donation to 
conservation.
  Millions of stamps have been sold in recent years, contributing tens 
of millions of dollars toward conservation each year. This bipartisan 
bill would modernize government services by allowing online access to 
the Federal duck stamp. It would save applicants and agency officials 
time and money and make it more accessible for hunters, 
conservationists, and collectors to purchase duck stamps and to support 
wetland conservation.
  Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
the great State of Louisiana (Mr. Graves), where I understand that if 
you can't get to a hunt in Arkansas, it is not a bad place to go as a 
consolation.
  Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
Arkansas and the gentlewoman from Oregon for their cooperation on this 
bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I note that my friend from Arkansas, whether he has the 
electronic stamp or the physical stamp, I feel that the ducks in 
Arkansas are safe. I have seen him shoot and am confident that those 
ducks are safe.
  Seriously, Mr. Speaker, oftentimes, when Congress acts, I think the 
American people need to be very concerned.

[[Page H6752]]

In this case, I think it is a really good thing that is happening 
today.
  As my friends have discussed, back in 1934, President Roosevelt 
signed the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act into law. 
Today, over 1.6 million hunters go out and buy a physical duck stamp 
every single year.
  This has resulted in over $1.1 billion being invested in 
conservation. This has benefited over 6 million acres of our national 
wildlife refuges around the United States. This is a great program.
  As my friend from Arkansas indicated, there is a compliance issue. 
With the great work that was done in 2013 to allow for an electronic 
duck stamp, there is a lag time between when the duck stamp is 
purchased and when the physical stamp comes in. You could find 
hunters out of compliance, despite the fact that they bought a stamp. 
Simply, this legislation fixes that.

  Mr. Speaker, I thank the Senate cosponsors of this legislation who 
have jumped in, Senators Boozman, Manchin, Marshall, and King, for 
introducing the House companion--I want to be clear, the House 
companion. This was a House bill and has already passed out of the 
House, but now, the Senate is refusing to take our bill up, so we find 
ourselves here.
  In any case, I think this is good news. We are going to take the win. 
I appreciate the opportunity to move forward.
  The bottom line is that this ensures that hunters can be compliant 
and are not going to get fined for not having the physical stamp. 
Importantly, it preserves the physical stamp that will continue to be 
mailed. It still is available to be purchased at local sporting goods 
stores and post offices all around the United States.
  We can continue to ensure compliance and ensure the enjoyment of 
waterfowl all over the United States, whether you are in North Dakota 
or south Louisiana or even in the chairman of the Natural Resources 
Committee's State, Arkansas.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman   Mike Thompson from California, who 
is the bipartisan cosponsor on this legislation. I urge adoption.
  Ms. HOYLE of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues from Arkansas 
and Louisiana, who represent great States to go hunting in if you can't 
make it all the way out to Oregon. I welcome you all there.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a good bill, and it should pass. I urge my 
colleagues to support this legislation. I hope this can be unanimous, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to make clear that the gentleman 
from Louisiana, even though he looks like a duck commander, he is not a 
duck commander, but he does enjoy the outdoors.
  The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, which is based on 
a user pays system through the purchase of items like the Federal duck 
stamp, is the envy of the world. In total, fees paid by the sportsmen 
communities contribute over $1 billion in revenue annually that goes 
toward wildlife conservation, which is truly a remarkable achievement.
  S. 788 is a commonsense, bipartisan bill that underpins the Northern 
American model by giving hunters certainty and modernizing the Federal 
duck stamp process.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, S. 788.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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