MUCC Call to Action! Critical Federal CWD Legislation Pending

Justin Tomei • May 5, 2022

On April 28, Sens. John Hoeven (R-ND) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) introduced legislation to provide federal aid to states for CWD research and management.

This legislation, S.4111 , is nearly identical to HR 5608 which passed out of the House of Representatives by an overwhelming, bipartisan 393-33 vote in December of last year. 

This bill would authorize both research and management programs by providing funding to state and tribal wildlife and agriculture agencies to manage and/or mitigate CWD outbreaks, as well as research institutions to study the disease. 

It would authorize $70 million in total spending: $35 million each for research and management and require 75% of the management dollars be allocated to state and tribal wildlife agencies. The bill also directs the USDA secretary to review the Herd Certification Program, governing captive cervid operations.

The time to act is now.  

The legislation has been referred to the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee chaired by Michigan’s Sen. Debbie Stabenow. Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) urges our members, and all concerned conservationists, to call or write Senator Stabenow’s office asking her to take up this bill in her committee, sign on as a cosponsor, and move it to the full Senate for a vote as quickly as possible. 

Please use the form provided found on MUCC’s website here to send Sen. Stabenow an email now! Feel free to edit the message as you see fit. 

If you prefer, you can call her office at (202) 224-4822 or email her via her email form found here . A paper letter can be mailed to: 

Senator Debbie Stabenow

731 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20510-2204

 

Please help MUCC continue to protect your rights as a hunter, angler, trapper and conservationist by joining here: http://bit.ly/JoinMUCC

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