Title: Migratory Bird Framework and Hunting Opportunities for Veterans Act
Policy area: Animals

Summary:
Migratory Bird Framework and Hunting Opportunities for Veterans Act
This bill amends the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to revise requirements for hunting ducks, mergansers, and coots. Specifically, the bill establishes January 31 of each year as the closing date of the hunting season for ducks, mergansers, and coots. In addition, the bill extends the hunting season for those birds by an extra weekend for youths, veterans, and members of the Armed Forces on active duty.
The Department of the Interior may not decrease the length of the hunting season or bag limit, as compared to the 2017-2018 hunting season, in the Atlantic, Mississippi, Central, or Pacific flyway.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2942 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2942

To amend the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to establish January 31 of each 
    year as the Federal closing date for duck hunting season and to 
 establish special duck hunting days for youths, veterans, and active 
              military personnel, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 23, 2018

Mrs. Hyde-Smith introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to establish January 31 of each 
    year as the Federal closing date for duck hunting season and to 
 establish special duck hunting days for youths, veterans, and active 
              military personnel, and for other purposes.

    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 Framework and Hunting 
Opportunities for Veterans Act''.

SEC. 2. FEDERAL CLOSING DATE FOR HUNTING OF DUCKS, MERGANSERS, AND 
              COOTS.

    Section 3 of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 704) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(c) Federal Closing Date for Hunting of Ducks, Mergansers, and 
Coots.--
            ``(1) In general.--In promulgating regulations under 
        subsection (a) relating to a framework for migratory bird 
        hunting, except as provided in paragraph (2), the Secretary 
        shall establish January 31 of each year as the Federal closing 
        date of the hunting season for ducks, mergansers, and coots.
            ``(2) Special duck hunting days for youths, veterans, and 
        active military personnel.--Notwithstanding the closing date 
        under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall allow youths, veterans 
        (as defined in section 101 of title 38, United States Code), 
        and members of the Armed Forces on active duty, including 
        members of the National Guard and Reserves on active duty 
        (other than for training), to hunt ducks, mergansers, and coots 
        during the first weekend in February of each year.
            ``(3) Prohibition.--With respect to ducks, mergansers, and 
        coots, the Secretary shall not decrease the length of the 
        hunting season or bag limit, as compared to the length of the 
        hunting season and bag limit for the 2017-2018 hunting season, 
        in--
                    ``(A) the Atlantic flyway;
                    ``(B) the Mississippi flyway;
                    ``(C) the Central flyway; or
                    ``(D) the Pacific flyway.
            ``(4) Regulations.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the 
                date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary 
                shall promulgate regulations in accordance with this 
                subsection.
                    ``(B) 2018-2019 migratory bird hunting season.--The 
                Secretary shall modify the proposed rule entitled 
                `Migratory Bird Hunting; Proposed Frameworks for 
                Migratory Bird Hunting Regulations' (83 Fed. Reg. 4964 
                (February 2, 2018)) if, before the date of enactment of 
                this subsection--
                            ``(i) the proposed rule has been finalized; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) the 2018-2019 duck hunting season 
                        has not commenced in--
                                    ``(I) the Atlantic flyway;
                                    ``(II) the Mississippi flyway;
                                    ``(III) the Central flyway; or
                                    ``(IV) the Pacific flyway.''.
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