Rep. Nehls, Troy E. [R-TX-22]* 06/22/2022
Rep. Babin, Brian [R-TX-36]* 06/22/2022
Rep. Cloud, Michael [R-TX-27]* 06/22/2022
Rep. Fallon, Pat [R-TX-4]* 06/22/2022
Rep. Gohmert, Louie [R-TX-1]* 06/22/2022
Rep. Weber, Randy K., Sr. [R-TX-14]* 06/22/2022
Rep. Jackson, Ronny [R-TX-13]* 06/22/2022
Rep. Roy, Chip [R-TX-21]* 06/22/2022
Rep. Taylor, Van [R-TX-3]*

These are all the Republican cosponsors that are backing the fool from Georgia that brought this bill into place. (H.R.8167)

I know that we are all busy talking about deep/shallow, line size, forward sonar, etc but EVERYONE needs to take a minute to look up this bill and contact their Rep.
P.R is a huge part of why get to enjoy the things we do in the outdoors. Losing or repealing this will have long lasting repercussions that will affect every fisherman and hunter in the country.

If your asking why I posted this on the Bass section (and I know there will be those who do) - you need to go do some research on the Pittman Robertson Act.

Just give an overview of the law otherwise no one is going to look it up.

Brief overview:

In 1937, the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, also known as the Pittman-Robertson Act, authorized that excise tax revenue from the sale of firearms and ammunition products be apportioned to State Fish and Game Agencies on a variety of projects related to wildlife, conservation efforts and shooting programs. Since the program’s inception, over $10.1 billion has been collected and awarded to states.

The distribution of funds includes a requirement that $8,000,000 per year must be used for Enhanced Hunter Education programs, including the construction, operation, and maintenance of public target ranges. States can use these funds to pay up to 90% of the costs with the other 10% derived from other sources, but not from other Federal grant programs.

Although Pittman-Robertson funds are only available to the States, the States can make the funds available to individuals, organizations, or local governments for their qualifying programs. States have their own criteria and application process for obtaining these funds.

Thanks for sharing this. I know understand why they want to control this money. All should read and contact their congressman at once before this gets passed under the radar.... Gun control is all this is about by controlling the funds

This is the volunteer tax we as sportsmen pay on fishing and hunting gear to finance hunting and fishing projects.

And just fyi, the Dingell Johnson act is similar for the fishing industry.

Don't you mean involuntary?

Where is a public, not for profit target range in Texas?

I myself question all taxes. We have hunting and fishing licenses at the state level, and our federal government should be responsible for wildlife resources at the national level. Sell me on why I should support this

No, this tax was asked for and approved by outdoor sportsmen.

Wildlife Funding
Wildlife conservation in Texas is funded by the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act, (US Code Title 16 Conservation, Ch. 5B: Wildlife Restoration). Pittman-Robertson Act funds allow TPWD's Wildlife Division to offer many services, including:

technical guidance to private landowners (who control 94% of wildlife habitat in Texas)
TPWD surveys and research for development of hunting regulations
operation and management of Wildlife Management Areas in Texas
conducting research and developing techniques for managing wildlife populations and wildlife habitat
Most of the work done by the Wildlife Division is eligible for reimbursement under the Pittman-Robertson Act. For every dollar spent by the Wildlife Division on approved Pittman-Robertson projects, about 75 cents is returned to the Department for wildlife conservation. This amounts to approximately $9 million annually. By law, funding is limited to wildlife management, related public use, and hunter education. Pittman-Robertson funds collected from federal excise taxes paid by manufacturers (an 11% excise tax on sporting rifles, shotguns, ammunition, and archery equipment and a 10% tax on handguns) are distributed to states based on number of hunters and land area. Texas receives the maximum distribution allowable under the program.

I emailed pat Fallon in this already. Gonna call this week..

Anyone that questions all taxes. Enjoy the road that take you to the lake to fish for free.

Go here and look for a range close to your home.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/education/hunter-education/shooting-sports-opportunities/targetrangegrants

Oh, you will have to scroll down to the link.

It's not just shooting ranges. PR funds a lot of wildlife projects, most of all the wildlife management areas.

https://gohmert.house.gov/contact/

This is Louie Gohmert’s email contact for those of you in my part of East Texas. The Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson acts have been in place for years. In summary, they established excise taxes on guns and ammo, bows/arrows and fishing tackle related purchases, respectively. The taxes collected go directly to fish and wildlife management, habitat, stocking, etc. By taking away these acts through HR 8167, the funds for fish and wildlife would have to come from somewhere else, possibly a general fund, where politicians or some government poindexter decide how much is allocated and when. This is a bad move for outdoorsmen. I would personally rather pay a few dollars more for my next rod and reel or rifle/scope combo if it means an increased opportunity for capture. It is disappointing to see the apathy towards this post, and the subject overall, while an argument over who makes the best weight peg will go for 4-5 pages.

Is this going to be on a ballot, and will it be a stand alone vote?