News for Immediate Release
Feb. 14, 2019
Contact: Katie McKalip, 406-240-9262, [email protected]
Senate and House vote today to advance the bill,
sending it on to the president’s desk
WASHINGTON – Public lands and waters are among the beneficiaries of a bipartisan spending bill passed by Congress today.
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers signaled support of the legislative package, which boosts funding for the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service and increases Land and Water Conservation Fund dollars by $10 million. While its passage would avert another government shutdown, it is not a stopgap measure but instead reflects Fiscal Year 2019 spending levels.
Highlights include the following priorities for sportsmen and women:
- The BLM would see a $14 million increase from FY2018 enacted levels ($1.31 billion);
- Forest Service non-fire accounts would see a $28 million increase ($3.95 billion);
- LWCF would receive a $10 million increase from FY2018 enacted levels ($435 million);
- The North American Wetlands Conservation Fund would receive $42 million, a $2 million increase from FY2018 enacted levels;
- The State and Tribal Wildlife Grants would see a $1 million increase from FY2018 enacted levels ($64.57 million).
“Stopgap funding bills and continuing resolutions are no way to run a government,” said BHA President and CEO Land Tawney. “Our public lands and waters – not to mention the resource managers who administer them – benefit from reliable, consistent funding. We commend Congress for recognizing the need for responsible governing, as well as for increasing the budgets of critical resource agencies and programs. We look forward to the president signing this bill into law and a return to business as usual.”
The Senate advanced the bill earlier today, with the House following suit late this evening. The president is expected to sign it before midnight tomorrow, thereby ensuring that the remaining 25 percent of the federal government under a two-week stopgap spending measure stays open for business.
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About Backcountry Hunters & Anglers
The Voice For Our Wild Public Lands, Waters And Wildlife.