How Congress Can Advance Sportfishing and Conservation Before the End of the Year

With August recess and Labor Day behind us, the Senate returned to Washington this week and the House will return next week. While there are still a few months left in the calendar year, due to the midterm elections and remaining holidays, there are only a handful of days left that Congress will be in session and voting.

Throughout the 117^th Congress, our government affairs team has successfully worked with Congress to promote legislation that is vital to the sportfishing industry and the entire outdoor recreation community. These efforts ensure that anglers continue to have access and plenty of fish to catch.

On September 7, 2022, ASA and other like-minded organizations sent a letter to Senate and House leadership highlighting the top legislative priorities for sportfishing and outdoor recreation that Congress can tackle before the conclusion of the year. These measures will ensure that Americans continue to have places to fish, fish populations continue to grow and the multibillion-dollar sportfishing industry continues to thrive. Below is a brief rundown of the top legislative issues we hope Congress accomplishes this year.

Recreational Fishing Related Components of the CHIPS Act

On August 9, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act (H.R. 4346), which provides funding for high tech manufacturers to develop new factories and plants around the country, into law. The bill is a compromise of the House’s previously introduced America COMPETES Act of 2022 and the Senate’s U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA). Unfortunately, several sportfishing-related components that would directly benefit conservation programs were left out of the final version of the bill. We hope to see their future introductions either as standalone bills or as larger measures.

Recovering America’s Wildlife Act

The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA, H.R. 2773) will dedicate almost $1.4 billion annually to state and tribal fish and wildlife agencies to implement science-based initiatives to protect wildlife, making RAWA the most consequential wildlife conservation law since the Endangered Species Act.

Much of the funding in this bill would go towards State Wildlife Action Plans, which are congressionally mandated, yet severely underfunded. RAWA has already passed the House and has bipartisan committee support in the U.S. Senate. We will continue to work with across party lines to make this bill become law.

Outdoor Recreation Act

In November 2021, U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Ranking Member John Barrasso (R-Wy.) introduced the Outdoor Recreation Act (S. 3266). The bill contains 14 provisions dedicated to expanding and enhancing outdoor recreation activities on federal lands. Several of these measures expand access to fishing and mitigate the spread of aquatic invasive species, which can cause closures of sportfishing regions. On May 3, the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources unanimously approved the legislation.

Reinvesting in America’s Shoreline Economies & Ecosystems (RISEE) Act

On July 21, 2022, the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee reported the RISEE Act (S. 2130) successfully out of committee. If enacted, the bill would diversify federal conservation funding by mandating that a portion of offshore wind revenue go to coastline resilience investments and dedicate more of the existing offshore energy production revenue from the Gulf of Mexico to support regional coastal restoration and resiliency. This legislation ensures that coastal communities receive proper support in the face of stronger and more frequent natural disasters. Ensuring that coastlines remain healthy is vital to protecting aquatic ecosystems and growing the outdoor recreation sector.

Water Resources Development Act

Since 2014, Congress has reauthorized the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA, H.R. 7776) on a biennial basis. WRDA authorizes civil works projects carried out by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, including those vital to sportfishing and boating activities, such as the construction of boat ramps or fish ladders throughout the Pacific Northwest. On June 8, 2022, the House of Representatives passed their version of WRDA, and the Senate passed a separate version on July 28, 2022. We await conference of the two bills and its final passage into law.

More To Come

Despite the limited time left, there is much Congress can accomplish to better the entire outdoor recreational community. More information about ASA’s Government Affairs work can be found here, and please be sure to check out Keep America Fishing to learn more about all the ways you can get involved in our advocacy work across the country.