NEWS RELEASE

Immediate Release: February 5, 2014
Contact: Miles Moretti, (801) 230-2207, miles@muledeer.org

Mule Deer Foundation Thanks House for Passing Sportsmen’s Act and Senate Introduction of Bipartisan Sportsmen’s legislation

Salt Lake City, Utah: In a flurry of activity to support the needs of America’s hunters and anglers, two pieces of legislation supported by the Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) are gaining traction in Congress. Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act (SHARE Act, H.R. 3590) by a bipartisan vote of 268-154 and on February 4, Senators Kay Hagan and Lisa Murkowski introduced a bipartisan sportsmen’s bill in the U.S. Senate. Both bills encompass a number of important provisions that will protect hunting, fishing and shooting on public lands as well as reauthorize important conservation programs.

“Thank you to the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus for their leadership on these bills that would go a long way towards addressing some of the concerns of sportsmen and women around the country. We appreciate Congressmen Bob Latta (R-Ohio), Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), Rob Wittman (R-Va.) and Tim Walz (D-Minn.) working hard to get the SHARE Act through the House,” commented Miles Moretti, President of the Mule Deer Foundation. “Now it is essential that the Senate follow suit and pass a bipartisan bill that can be conferenced with the House and sent to the President for his signature this year.”

The SHARE Act includes a number of key priorities that have been supported by MDF and many other sportsmen’s organizations. The bill would improve access on federal public lands, allow states to make improvements to public shooting ranges, and makes permanent the electronic duck stamp, among other things. Along with protecting sportsmen’s access to federal lands, the Senate Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act of 2014 (S. 1996) authorizes the Making Public Lands Public act that would provide funding for access to landlocked federal property, reauthorizes the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and more.
 
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About MDF 
The Mule Deer Foundation is the only conservation group in North America dedicated to restoring, improving and protecting mule deer and black-tailed deer and their habitat, with a focus on science and program efficiency. MDF is a strong voice for hunters in access, wildlife management and conservation policy issues. MDF acknowledges regulated hunting as a viable management component and is committed to recruitment and retention of youth into the shooting sports and conservation. Get involved at www.muledeer.org or call 1-888-375-3337.