WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar has cosponsored the bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act to increase access to public lands for outdoor recreation for hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting.

“Hunting and fishing are more than just hobbies in Minnesota—they’re a way of life, and they’re critically important to our economy,” Klobuchar said. “This bipartisan legislation will increase access to public lands, create opportunities to strengthen the outdoor recreation economy, and help ensure that our outdoor traditions can continue to be passed down from one generation to the next.”

The Sportsmen’s Act would:

• Reauthorize federal land open to hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting;

• Reauthorize the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act;

• Exempt commercial filming permits for film crews of three or fewer, or for news gathering purposes;

• Authorize the Hunt Unrestricted on National Treasures (HUNT) Act

• Amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to allocate funds for construction and expansion of public target ranges on federal land;

• Permanently establish the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council Advisory Committee to advise the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture on wildlife and habitat conservation, hunting, and recreational shooting.

• Allow the transport of bows or crossbows across National Park Service (NPS) land;

• Allow use of qualified hunter volunteers to manage wildlife on NPS land.

The legislation was introduced by Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Jim Risch (R-ID), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Deb Fischer (R-NE), and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND). It passed the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on March 30, 2017.

Last year, Klobuchar-backed bipartisan legislation to detail the economic benefits of outdoor recreation on the U.S. economy was signed into law by the President. The Outdoor Recreation’s Economic Contributions Act will inform policymakers and business leaders on the jobs created and the consumer spending driven by the outdoor recreation economy.