H. Res. 362
In the House of Representatives, U.S.,
September 23, 2003.
Whereas there are more than 38 million 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 con-
tributing to conservation efforts;
Whereas sportsmen demonstrate values of conservation, ap-
preciation 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 fami-
lies 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 a tremendous respect for the game pursued,
other sportsmen, the non-hunting populace, and the nat-
ural resources upon which they depend;
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Whereas the total economic contribution of sportsmen
amounts to $70 billion annually, with a ripple effect
amounting to $179 billion;
Whereas sportsmen contribute $1.7 billion every year for con-
servation programs, and these funds constitute a signifi-
cant portion of on-the-ground wildlife conservation fund-
ing;
Whereas anglers support one million jobs and small busi-
nesses in communities in every part of the United States,
and they purchase $3.2 billion in basic fishing equipment
every year;
Whereas tens of millions of Americans hunt and are a sub-
stantial economic force, spending $21 billion every year;
Whereas a sportsman President, Theodore Roosevelt, estab-
lished America’s first National Wildlife Refuge 100 years
ago, and with the committed support of sportsmen over
the last century, this system includes more than 540 ref-
uges spanning 95 million acres throughout all 50 States;
Whereas the funds raised from sportsmen through their pur-
chase 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 such stamps has raised more than 500
million dollars which has been used to acquire approxi-
mately 5 million acres of refuge lands so far;
Whereas, in 1937, Congress passed the Pittman-Robertson
Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669 et seq.), whereby
sportsmen and the firearms and ammunition industries
agreed to a self-imposed 10 percent excise tax on ammu-
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nition 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, includ-
ing 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.)
whereby 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 con-
structing 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 such purposes, such that now approximately one-third
of all the funds expended by State fish and wildlife agen-
cies for maintenance and development of sports fisheries
are collected through the use of this excise tax: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
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(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 im-
plemented by sportsmen;
(4) recognizes the many economic benefits associ-
ated 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.
Attest:
Clerk.