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Senator Harman Re-Introduces Species Conservation Legislation

State of California

Sacramento, CA --(AmmoLand.com)- Senator Tom Harman (R-Huntington Beach) vowing to keep up the fight, re-introduced legislation today that seeks to ensure that hunting license tag and stamp funds benefit game species and their habitats.

Senate Bill 1058 will require that, before any hunting monies can be expended, hunting-related organizations would have an opportunity to review proposed projects and provide comment to the Department of Fish and Game. Not only will this create much-needed transparency, it will allow for projects to be modified to better fit the needs of game species and hunters.

“As an avid outdoorsman, I feel pretty strongly that money rightly belonging to species preservation be spent accordingly,” said Harman. “We got so close last year to fixing this problem that I just couldn’t give up the fight. People pay those fees with the expectation that the money goes where it’s supposed to go – not that the fees are sucked up by a bureaucracy for office expenses.”

Current law, particularly as it relates to bear and deer tag monies, does not always require that the monies be used for a dedicated purpose. Unfortunately, these funds have been continuously used for non-game purposes.

“This bill will ensure transparency in the spending of these funds,” said Harman. “That is something we should have in all government spending – clarity – so people know where the dollars go.”

SB 1058, sponsored by the California Outdoor Heritage Alliance (COHA), a sportsmen’s advocacy coalition of over 30 wildlife conservation and hunting organizations, will address the funding issue and add transparency as to how the tag and stamp fees are utilized.

“Hunters are proud of their key role in funding many of the Department of Fish and Game’s conservation activities through the purchase of hunting license stamps and tags,” stated Mark Hennelly, Vice President of COHA. “SB 1058 will help ensure that those important dollars are used as efficiently and effectively as possible to benefit game species and their habitats.”

SB 1058 is a reintroduction of SB 589 which passed out of the legislature with bipartisan support and was unfortunately vetoed by the Governor.

“This bill went all the way to the Governor’s desk last year. It had a lot of support and I am committed to seeing it signed into law,” said Harman. “I am working with the Governor’s office to address their concerns.”

The first hearing on SB 1058 will likely be in early April in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee.

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COHA-Sponsored SB 1058 Would Protect Big Game Tag & Upland Game Stamp Revenue

California Outdoor Heritage Alliance

Sacramento, CA --(AmmoLand.com)- Senator Tom Harman (R-Orange) has introduced SB 1058, COHA-sponsored state legislation which would prevent big game tag and upland bird stamp monies from being misused for non-game or non-hunting purposes.

A similar COHA-sponsored bill, SB 589, was vetoed by the Governor last year.

SB 1058 would mandate that all deer, elk, wild pig, antelope, bighorn sheep and bear tag revenues and upland game bird stamp monies be used to benefit those particular species, their habitats, and the users that generate them. It would also provide much-needed opportunity for sportsman’s groups to review and provide comment on proposed expenditures of the funds.

Beginning in the 1980s, a portion of hunting license tag/stamp monies were redirected away from game species conservation to other purposes. Loopholes in state law also currently allow for a significant portion of deer tag monies and all bear tag monies to be used for non-game purposes, while a large percentage of pig tag funds have also remained unspent or have been redirected in recent years.

According to data from 2006, only 62% of deer tag revenue was actually used for deer-related projects. Similarly, only 64% of wild pig tag money and 48% of wild sheep auction tag money was used for related conservation work.

SB 1058 also consolidates various existing big game species fiscal accounts into a single account, which improves efficiencies in the use of the monies and gives the Department of Fish and Game greater flexibility to benefit all big game species.

A separate provision of SB 1058 elevates hunting and fishing above other recreational uses when the Fish and Game Commission determines which uses are appropriate for DFG’s Wildlife Management Areas.

“California sportsmen and women expect their license dollars to go to the wildlife management and conservation programs they were intended for,” said Evan Heusinkveld, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) director of state services. “These funds should not be spent to fix roads or patch holes in the state budget.”

SB 1058 will be heard in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee in early April. Please contact members of the Committee and urge their strong support of this much needed measure. For Legislator contact information and a sample support letter, click here.

To view Senator Harman’s press release announcing the reintroduction of the legislation, click here.

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