04/04/2012 03:30 PM Senate RESOURCES

        HCR 25-WILDLIFE & SPORT FISH RESTORATION PROGRAM                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:14:36 PM                                                                                                                    
CO-CHAIR  WAGONER  announced  consideration   of  HCR  25  [CSHCR
(FSH) was before the committee].                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN moved to bring  CSHCR 25(FSH), version\B, before                                                               
the committee.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR WAGONER objected for discussion purposes.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
4:15:58 PM                                                                                                                    
REPRESENTATIVE MARK NEUMAN, Alaska  State Legislature, sponsor of                                                               
HCR  25,  explained  that  it  is an  act  celebrating  the  75th                                                               
anniversary of a wildlife and  sport fish restoration program. It                                                               
recognizes sportsmen,  industry, state  and federal  agencies who                                                               
have  acted to  preserve our  outdoor heritage.  It is  sometimes                                                               
overlooked   that  hunters   and   anglers   were  our   earliest                                                               
conservationists. They saw the rapid  decline of many species due                                                               
to  unregulated  markets   and  commercial  activities  involving                                                               
wildlife and habitat loss as early as the 1800s.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Seventy-five years  ago the Wildlife Restoration  Act established                                                               
funding to  restore wildlife and the  acquisition and development                                                               
of management of habitats. It was  amended in 1970 to provide for                                                               
funding  for  hunter  training   programs  and  the  development,                                                               
operation  and maintenance  of public  shooting ranges.  In 1950,                                                               
the  Dingle  Johnson  Act  was   passed  creating  a  sport  fish                                                               
restoration  program and  a  funding source  by  using a  federal                                                               
excise tax on fishing gear and  motor boat fuels to provide grant                                                               
money  to  fisheries  conservation, boating  access  and  aquatic                                                               
education.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:17:07 PM                                                                                                                    
Acts  like  these  were instrumental  in  establishing  the  user                                                               
pay/user   benefit   system,  so   much   so   that  since   1939                                                               
contributions  to state  fish and  wildlife agencies  by wildlife                                                               
and sport  fish restoration programs  have exceeded  $13 billion.                                                               
This represents  the greatest single  conservation effort  in the                                                               
history of  the US and is  the nation's primary means  of funding                                                               
conservation.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
4:18:44 PM                                                                                                                    
CO-CHAIR WAGONER removed his objection.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR PASKVAN moved to report  CSHCR 25(FSH), version \B, from                                                               
committee  to  the next  committee  of  referral with  individual                                                               
recommendations  and attached  zero  fiscal note.  There were  no                                                               
objections and it was so ordered.