Recovering America's Wildlife Act, H.R. 2773
Floor Speech
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Mr. WITTMAN. Madam Speaker, as a sportsman, I have long been a supporter and cosponsor of the Recovering America's Wildlife Act (RAWA).
This bipartisan legislation aims to promote and enhance Virginia's and our nation's conservation efforts and ensure the health of fish and wildlife across the U.S. RAWA would provide dedicated funding for the implementation of state fish and wildlife agencies' action plans and complement the American System of Conservation Funding, which is the financial contributions of hunters, anglers, target shooters, and boaters through excise taxes and related user fees, to ensure healthy populations of fish and wildlife for future generations to enjoy.
These conservation efforts could include reintroduction of imperiled species, conserving and restoring important habitat, fighting invasive species and disease, and more. This would significantly reduce the number of species in decline and would ultimately prevent these species from needing protections afforded under the Endangered Species Act. Restoring fish, wildlife, and their habitats is an effective way to restore critical natural infrastructure, create resilient habitats and communities, create jobs, and is an issue of national importance that has no political affiliation.
Unfortunately, I was not able to support H.R. 2773 on the House floor (Roll No. 267) because of changes to the bill text and failed attempts to address spending offsets after the Natural Resources Committee reported the bill on June 9, 2022. The bill that came to the floor contained substantial differences than the original introduced version of H.R. 2773. Additionally, the Majority failed to work with Republicans to address spending offsets and include a sunset provision.
I still support the original intent of RAWA to support State and tribal conservation efforts to restore wildlife. I look forward to Senate action to advance these goals while addressing the concerns of Natural Resources Committee Republicans and bill cosponsors that arouse when this legislation was considered on the House floor.
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