[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15410-15411]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          THE SPORTSMEN'S ACT

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. For the information of the Senate, the pending 
business is S. 3525, which the Senate is considering postcloture. The 
Senator from Virginia is recognized.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I will take a couple of brief moments. 
First, let me thank my friend, the Senator from Illinois. No one has 
spent more time and also, candidly, taken a more courageous position in 
these discussions around avoiding this fiscal cliff. For some, for 
political or other reasons, these are challenging discussions. But no 
one more than the Senator from Illinois has been willing to put more on 
the line, has been willing to take more heat and has more represented 
this whole notion of putting country first on an issue that I think is 
the defining moment of our time.

[[Page 15411]]

  I thank my friend, the Senator from Illinois. I appreciate all he has 
done. I think history will actually show in many ways that the original 
framework of the so-called Gang of 6--I think it is only in Washington 
where when people try to work together they are immediately designated 
as gang members--but particularly the low-income protections the 
Senator of Illinois made sure we had in our bipartisan agreement that 
reduced the deficit by more than $4 trillion will stand as the high 
water mark. I commend him for his work.
  I want to say as a relatively new Senator and one who is still trying 
to learn the rules and procedures, I also always thought that if 
someone filibustered a bill they had to stay on the floor and make that 
case. As someone who was never a legislator before I came to this 
position, I look forward to working with him and reasonable Members 
from both sides of the aisle to make sure we have rules reforms so the 
Senate can get back to doing the people's business and not be involved 
in procedural matters.
  With that, I wish to speak very briefly about the issue before us. It 
is hunting season in Virginia--I am sure it is in Delaware as well--so 
it is timely that this current bill is before us. I wish to take a 
moment to voice my support for the Sportsmen's Act of 2012, a bill I am 
proud to cosponsor. I applaud the hard work my good friend from 
Montana, Senator Tester, has done in moving this bill forward through a 
number of challenges. He has put so much time and effort into pulling 
various pieces together, building support, and balancing different 
interests. I am confident that, with his leadership, we have put 
together a very strong piece of legislation.
  The Sportsmen's Act of 2012 is a compilation of nearly 20 different 
bipartisan bills that are important to sportsmen and conservation 
communities across America. It focuses on the conservation of wildlife 
habitat and improved access for recreational hunting and fishing.
  Sportsmen cite the loss of access as the No. 1 reason why they have 
given up on hunting or fishing. Currently, 35 million acres of public 
land are either restricted or provide no access. This bill allows the 
acquisition of more easements and rights of way to improve access to 
public land for hunting and fishing. The Sportsmen's Act of 2012 
increases access to public lands for millions of Americans and 
Virginians who participate in hunting and fishing and other outdoor 
recreation, while also supporting the very important conservation of 
wildlife habitat.
  This legislation promotes our recreational hunting, fishing, and 
shooting heritage. It also continues a number of key initiatives and 
public-private partnerships to support conservation of fish and 
wildlife populations.
  This bipartisan bill is consistent with my long-term personal and 
policy commitment to provide more opportunities for outdoor recreation, 
to restore critical landscapes, and to support a robust outdoor 
economy.
  It is also important to note that in the midst of our important 
debate about getting our fiscal house in order, this bill does not add 
one cent to the deficit. This CBO has concluded that it actually saves 
$5 million over 10 years.
  Finally, and perhaps more telling than anything else, is the amount 
of support this bill has garnered from outside groups. Over 50 national 
conservation and wildlife groups support the bill. The National 
Wildlife Federation supports it, the NRA supports it, and President 
Obama supports it. That shows the breadth of support this legislation 
has. With such a broad spectrum of support, passing this bill should be 
a no-brainer.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in another strong show of support for 
our sportsmen by voting yes on final passage.
  Thank you, Mr. President. With that, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama.

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