Authorizing Fully Electronic Stamps

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2872) to amend the Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act of 2013 to allow States to issue electronic stamps under such Act, and for other purposes, as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 2872

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SEC. 1. AUTHORIZING FULLY ELECTRONIC STAMPS.

(a) In General.--Section 5 of the Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act of 2013 (16 U.S.C. 718r) is amended--

(1) in subsection (a)--

(A) in the heading, by striking ``Actual Stamp'' and inserting ``Electronic Stamp'';

(B) by striking ``actual stamp'' and inserting ``electronic stamp''; and

(C) by amending paragraph (1) to read as follows:

``(1) upon the date of purchase; and'';

(2) in subsection (c), by inserting ``under subsection (e)'' before the period at the end; and

(3) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (f) and inserting after subsection (d) the following new subsection:

``(e) Delivery of Actual Stamps.--The Secretary shall issue an actual stamp after March 10 of each year to each individual that purchased an electronic stamp for the preceding waterfowl seasons.''.

(b) Stamp Valid Through Close of Hunting Season.--Section 6 of the Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act of 2013 (16 U.S.C. 718s(c)) is amended--

(1) in subsection (b), by striking ``shall, during the effective period of the electronic stamp--'' and inserting ``shall--''; and

(2) in subsection (c), by striking ``for a period agreed to by the State and the Secretary, which shall not exceed 45 days'' and inserting ``until the first June 30 that occurs after the date of issuance of such stamp''.

(c) Electronic Stamps as Permit.--Section 1(a)(1) of the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act (16 U.S.C. 718a(a)(1)) is amended--

(1) by inserting ``as an electronic stamp or'' after ``Conservation Stamp,''; and

(2) by inserting ``actual'' after ``face of the''.

(d) Contents of Electronic Stamp.--Section 2(3) of the Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act of 2013 (16 U.S.C. 718o(3)) is amended--

(1) in subparagraph (D), by striking ``and'';

(2) in subparagraph (E), by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and

(3) by adding at the end the following:

``(F) may contain an image of the actual stamp.''.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2872, sponsored by the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves), my friend and colleague.

This bill makes commonsense improvements to the Federal Duck Stamp program by modernizing how waterfowl hunters across the country can purchase a Federal duck stamp.

The duck stamp was created when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act into law in 1934. That law required waterfowl and other migratory bird hunters ages 16 and over to purchase and possess a valid duck stamp prior to taking of migratory waterfowl.

Current law requires hunters to physically possess a signed duck stamp on their person while hunting any migratory waterfowl. Even in States where electronic licensing is used, a signed physical duck stamp is required.

H.R. 2872 further modernizes the program by removing the 45-day requirement to have a physical duck stamp, and it allows States the option to sell electronic duck stamps for the entirety of the hunting season.

Under this bill, purchasers would still receive the physical stamp at the end of their State waterfowl hunting season, therefore preserving the long legacy of the Federal Duck Stamp as a physical representation of the conservation efforts of hunters for generations to come.

This is a good governance approach that will reassure waterfowl hunters and continue the unmatched American tradition of wildlife conservation through sportsman participation. I applaud Mr. Graves for his work on this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, which is based on a user-pays system through the purchase of items like the Federal duck stamp, is the envy of the world. In total, fees paid by the sportsmen community contribute over $1 billion per year in revenue that goes toward wildlife conservation, which is a truly remarkable achievement.

H.R. 2872 is a commonsense, bipartisan bill that underpins the North American model by giving hunters certainty while modernizing the Federal duck stamp process.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source