HSC Opposes RETURN (Repealing Excise Tax on Unalienable Rights Now) our Constitutional Rights Act of 2022
Andrew Clyde (R-GA) introduced the RETURN (Repealing Excise Tax on Unalienable Rights Now) our Constitutional Rights Act to eliminate the eleven percent federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition that funds conservation in America. Clyde’s position is that the excise taxes on firearms and ammunition threaten Second Amendment rights. The Pittman-Robertson Act apportions excise taxes on hunting, shooting and fishing equipment as well as boat fuel in all fifty states and U.S. territories. Last year, $1.5 billion was raised, which was used to support state and local recreational outdoor opportunities and wildlife and habitat conservation efforts. Pittman-Robertson dollars have generated $15 billion for conservation since it was enacted in 1937. Clyde’s bill proposes replacing the conservation funding through offshore oil and gas taxes, similar to the Land and Water Conservation Fund. To learn more click HERE
HSC Supports HR 8168-Save Our Sequoias Act
Houston Safari Club joined other organizations to express support for the Save Our Sequoias Act, which will provide land managers with new tools and the resources to utilize existing authorities to address high-severity wildlife threats to giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum). The legislation would increase coordination among the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture, the state of California, the Tule River Indian Tribe, and local government to improve forest health in stands of giant sequoias and on adjacent lands. Through the development of grove-specific hazardous fuels reduction plans, diverse-interest collaborative decision making, innovative grants, limited categorical exclusions, and expanded utilization of the Good Neighborhood Authority and stewardship contracting, the Save Our Sequoias Act would enable land managers to improve forest resiliency to fire by reducing hazardous fuel loads and overstocking through thinning, targeted tree removal, and prescribed fire and addressing insects and disease. Additionally, the bill would facilitate the rehabilitation of lands negatively impacted by fire and the reforestation of giant sequoia stands to ensure the long-term viability of giant sequoias and the wildlife species that depend on these habitats. To learn more click HERE