RandyA

It is still states rights, and 20% is more than adequate for NR for tags.

RandyA

Some good news, the Reid bill made it out of comittee and will be up for a vote. Soon I hope and then this can be put behind us and George can go suck the big one!

Washington, D.C. – A bill by U.S. Senators Harry Reid and John Ensign that would protect Nevada’s right to regulate its own hunting and fishing has passed a Senate Committee.

The bill would allow Nevada, and other states, to distinguish between residents and non-residents when issuing hunting and fishing licenses. States have traditionally regulated all hunting and fishing within their borders, but a recent ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals questioned how states can allocate hunting tags for residents and non-residents.

“Nevada sportsmen work hard to enhance the fish and wildlife habitat in Nevada,” said Reid. “Nevada’s hunting and fishing groups are actively involved in local, non-profit conservation efforts. They also support conservation through taxes and fees. Nevadans invest in conserving our fish and game resources, and they should be rewarded for their efforts.”

“This is a states’ rights issue that should not be subject to federal interference,” Senator Ensign said. “Nevada’s incredible wildlife resources make it a natural attraction for hunters and fisherman, and our state has managed its recreational programs to the benefit of all Nevadans. That is how it should continue to be.”

Reid and Ensign’s bill would reaffirm the long-standing right of states to make decisions about tag limits and licenses. The bill was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee today, and now goes to the full Senate for approval.


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charlie brown

Thank GOD!!! I have been watching the NDOW website for any info, but have yet to see anything put on there. Lets hope that it gets pushed forward into law!!

Its a good thing that some senators can put their party lines aside and work on something for the better of the people!

RandyA

One more step! Good news indeed!

The latest:
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Senate approved a measure by Senators Harry Reid (D-NV) and Ted Stevens (R-AK) that would protect each state’s right to regulate hunting and fishing. The legislation was cosponsored by Senators John Ensign (R-NV) and Ben Nelson (R-NE). It passed the full Senate late last night, as an amendment to the Supplemental Appropriations Act.

“This is a big victory for Nevadans, and for sportsmen everywhere,” said Reid. “Nevada’s hunting and fishing groups help conserve our natural resources through taxes, fees, and old-fashioned hard work. Our sportsmen understand Nevada, and they work hard to take care of it. This bill recognizes and rewards those efforts. I hope the House of Representatives will join us to pass this bill into law.”

“Alaskans join Nevadans in the proud tradition of hunting and fishing,” said Stevens. “This amendment ensures that our states sportsmen are able to fully partake in the resources and splendor of their own states.”

“Nevada’s sportsmen embody a proud tradition of western independence and I’m proud to have fought for this measure on their behalf,” Ensign said. “We have protected their interests and maintained important protections for our environment.”

“Uncle Sam should stay out of the business of regulating state hunting and fishing fees,” said Nelson. “It’s simply a case of states’ rights and the States won an important victory when this bill passed.”

The bill would allow Nevada, Alaska, and other states to continue distinguishing between residents and non-residents when issuing hunting and fishing licenses.

States have traditionally regulated hunting and fishing within their borders, but a recent ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals questioned how states can allocate hunting tags for residents and non-residents. The new legislation would reaffirm the long-standing right of states to make decisions about tag limits and licenses.

“This legislation will benefit and unite sportsman and conservationists everywhere, as well to help promote continuing pro active wildlife management for generations to come,” said Clint Bentley, Commissioner of the Nevada Board of Wildlife. “I’d like to thank the Senators for standing up for sportsmen and wildlife managers.”

The House of Representatives still needs to approve the amendment. The Supplemental Appropriations Act will go to a joint Senate/House Conference Committee where that decision will be made.

http://reid.senate.gov/record2.cfm?id=236863

Keep your fingers crossed!!!

manboy

lets hope it continus to other state in the west!

kshunter

GREAT NEWS!!!!!

Thanks for posting. That just made my day. We're one step closer to protecting the sportsmans rights as a whole.

Cougar Mag

I am with you KS.

RandyA

Spyro read it and weep! Unless Bush doesn't sign it!


Nonresident hunting limits stand

By JEFF GEARINO
Star-Tribune staff writer Wednesday, May 11, 2005




Wyoming and other Western states will be able to continue limiting nonresident hunting and fishing licenses under a bill passed Tuesday by Congress.

A supplemental appropriations bill approved by the Senate on Tuesday includes an amendment that will protect the traditional authority of states to regulate hunting and fishing, said U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., who cosponsored the bill.

The bill allows states including Wyoming to continue distinguishing between residents and nonresidents when issuing hunting and fishing licenses.

"Wildlife is one of Wyoming's most important assets, and this bill reaffirms that Wyoming citizens, who bear most of the costs associated with managing wildlife, will remain in control," Enzi said in a statement.

The bill now goes to President Bush for his signature.

Wyoming Game and Fish Department officials have been following the bill closely and said the law will help preserve the state's right to regulate hunting within its borders. Game and Fish directors could not be reached for comment late Tuesday.

The agency has long held that Wyoming's limitation on percentages of licenses allocated to residents and nonresidents -- and the cost differential between the two -- is the state's prerogative and not a violation of interstate commerce or equal protection clauses.

Many of the Game and Fish big game license allocations are set by the Legislature through state statutes. For example, the 20 percent of deer and antelope licenses and the 25 percent of bighorn sheep licenses going to nonresidents each year are statutory. Other license allocations are done by Game and Fish Commission regulations.

Enzi's measure was prompted by a 2002 ruling from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The ruling said that Arizona's law allotting just 10 percent of bull elk and antlered deer hunting tags to nonresidents was an act of "overt discrimination."

"The people of Wyoming know how to manage the wildlife in our state better than the 9th Circuit Court or the federal government," Enzi said. "This bill makes sure that Wyoming citizens, who have the most pride in area wildlife, are the people in charge."

Enzi said on Tuesday, the Senate passed the supplemental appropriations bill conference report accompanying H.R. 1268 by a vote of 100-0. The House passed the conference report May 5 by a vote of 368-58.

He said language in a previous Enzi cosponsored bill, which would keep control of hunting and fishing regulations out of the hands of the federal government, was included in the supplemental bill passed Tuesday.

In the meantime, Game and Fish officials are waiting on a ruling in another case that also challenges the state's requirements on nonresident hunters. That case is now before the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The lawsuit was brought by former Wyoming resident Donald J. Schutz, a Florida attorney who at one time attended Laramie High School and the University of Wyoming. Schutz's lawsuit alleges that the state's licensing system violates equal protection laws and that the guide requirements for hunting in Wyoming wilderness areas is unconstitutional.

Wyoming won a similar court case and appeal in 2000 in a lawsuit that was filed by the Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association in 1998. Wyoming outfitters had long complained before the suit that the limited number of hunting licenses available to hunters from other states hurt the state's outfitters and guides and prevented them from making as much money as they could on hunting revenues.

charlie brown

Ok, now lets hope Bush will sign the law. Even if he does, I am sure someone will try to appeal it, but lets hope it stands up!! I will email my senators again thanking them for the bill that Reid and Ensign sponsored!!

RandyA

It was signed by him yesterday!