October 6, 2023 (Washington, D.C.) – Moments ago, President Biden signed the bipartisan Protecting Hunting Heritage and Education Act (H.R. 5110) into law. Led by Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Members Reps. Mark Green and Richard Hudson, this bill will ensure that certain federal funds remain available for hunter education, archery in schools, wilderness programs, and many other critical student enrichment programs. The signing into law of H.R. 5110 marks a significant victory for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), sportsmen and women, and millions of students across the country who participate in valuable outdoor recreation classes. Notably, this bill passed Congress with only one dissenting vote, and was signed into law in roughly two months after introduction, an impressive timeline given the challenging dynamics at play in Congress. This success is the result of the bipartisan Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus and CSF’s ability to navigate difficult political dynamics to ensure victories for sportsmen and women across the country. This victory also demonstrates that our time-honored traditions of hunting, fishing, trapping, and recreational shooting are non-partisan pastimes that unite Americans from all walks of life. H.R. 5110 was complemented by two Senate companion bills, led by Sens. Tester (S. 2735) and Cornyn (S. 2828), that also sought to address this issue in a bipartisan manner. “CSF offers our sincere appreciation to CSC Members Reps. Green and Hudson as well as Sens. Tester and Cornyn for spearheading this bipartisan effort to ensure that important enrichment and life skill programs in schools across the country remain eligible for federal funding,” said CSF President and CEO Jeff Crane. “As schools across the country are well under way, CSF would also like to thank President Biden for quickly signing H.R. 5110 into law.” H.R. 5110 will ensure Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) funds, a significant federal funding program for schools across the country, are available to fund crucial development programs such as archery in schools, hunter education, school sponsored shooting teams, wilderness courses, among many other activities. Specifically, this legislation makes it clear that the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act does not undermine these longstanding valuable programs that build camaraderie, teach responsibility, and provide recreational opportunities for millions of students across the nation. CSF would like to recognize all the Members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus who stepped up in a rapid fashion to fix this legislation in a bipartisan manner, including Reps. Green and Hudson, CSC Senate Leaders Sens. Manchin, Boozman, King, and Marshall, and CSC Members Sens. Tester, Cornyn, and Tillis. |
