Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I certainly agree with the gentleman from California that the duck stamp program is a great program. It does a tremendous amount of good. We all know the wetlands that are preserved with that. We all know it is a great opportunity for the hunting community and the conservation community to come together. As you know, last year, the duck stamp fee was increased, for the first time in 24 years, from $15 to $25. I, myself, am an avid duck hunter. I buy multiple duck stamps because I firmly believe in the program. The increase last year we believe will yield about $119 million over 10 years; but we also know, looking historically, that when you put these increases in fees, for the first couple of years the revenue drops because people that would buy them without the need don't do that, and then they come back to actually purchasing it. So we understand that. That is why we have asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to look specifically at how the implementation of this fee is going to play out and how the costs associated with the program are, so that we can understand how to best manage this, as you said, to get the most dollars to wetlands conservation. With the idea of now going to an inflationary factor right on the heels of a $10 increase without getting, from the Fish and Wildlife Service, what the impacts are going to be so we can best maximize the dollars, I think, is premature.…”