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 Home > News and alerts > You are here: President signs 2002 Farm Bill President signs 2002 Farm Bill (5/14/2002) President George W.
Bush has signed into law the 2002 Farm Bill. This important legislation
re-authorizes conservation programs that help landowners restore, manage
and enhance fish and wildlife habitat on farms, ranches and forests. The
U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance worked with key conservation leaders in
Congress and other leading national conservation organizations to ensure
support for many Farm Bill components and programs. These programs are
widely credited as being a key component to the abundance of wildlife
enjoyed by millions across the country. The
Alliance also worked to have legislators drop two amendments to the bill
that threatened sportsmen’s rights. One amendment would have
federalized black bear management and the other would have impacted
sporting dog enthusiasts by requiring anyone who sold puppies to
"socialize" them. According
to the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, the
Congressional Budget Office estimates the legislation will result in
additional expenditures of $17.1 billion for conservation programs over
the next ten years, an 80 percent increase over current conservation
spending. For
example, the Conservation Reserve Program will expand from its existing
acreage cap of 36.4 million acres to 39.2 million acres. The Wetland
Reserve Program acreage also grows from 1.075 to 2.275 million acres.
Nearly $360 million will be provided to the Wildlife Habitat Incentives
Program over the next six years and a new 2 million-acre Grassland
Reserve Program will also be established. The U. S. Sportsmen’s Alliance thanks sportsmen for their support of this bill and for contacting their Congressmen to urge them to support conservation. CopyrightÓ U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance- www.ussportsmen.org
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