House Passes Recovering America’s Wildlife Act

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA). This landmark legislation will provide $1.39 billion for states, territories, and tribes to support proactive habitat restoration of species of greatest conservation concern across the U.S. The bill’s spending would be guided by federally approved State Wildlife Action Plans, in which state wildlife agencies have identified 12,000 species in greatest need of conservation to date.

RAWA was introduced in the House by Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI). Similar legislation awaits a vote in the Senate, where it has been introduced by Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Roy Blunt (R-MO).

“RAWA follows a tried-and-true formula for proactive habitat conservation,” said DU CEO Adam Putnam. “We’ve seen other programs, like the Pittman-Robertson Act, utilize this very same conservation methodology to great success. The end result will be healthier habitat that greatly benefits waterfowl and other wildlife, as well as generations of sportsmen and women to come. We thank our friends in the House of Representatives for prioritizing this landmark conservation legislation.”

DU’s Chief Operating Officer, Nick Wiley, previously served as Executive Director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as well as President of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA). In 2015, AFWA created the Blue Ribbon Panel on Sustaining America’s Diverse Fish and Wildlife Resources. The 28-member panel, co-chaired by Bass Pro Shops CEO Johnny Morris and former Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal, identified the need for a more consistent, dedicated mechanism to fund state fish and wildlife agencies and recommended the creation of RAWA.