Sen. Allen shares concerns regarding U.S. House Resolution 8167

State Sen. Mark Allen, chairman of the Oklahoma Sportsman Caucus and member of the Congressional Sportsmen‚s Foundation executive council, said he has grave concerns regarding the introduction of House Resolution 8167 in the U.S. House of Representatives. The resolution would repeal the landmark Pittman-Robertson Act of 1937, which Allen said has been a critical measure to fund wildlife conservation efforts across the state and nation.

HR 8167 would remove the excise taxes on sporting and fishing equipment like firearms, ammunition, bows and arrows. The taxes from these purchases have been used as the lead funding source for wildlife conservation in the United States.

“The Pittman-Robertson Act was crucial to creating a stable funding source for wildlife conservation, and these are dollars our state relies heavily upon,” said Allen, R-Spiro. “For every dollar invested into conservation by the state, we receive $3 from the federal government based on revenue collected from the purchase of sportsmen‚s equipment. These are funding sources we simply cannot afford to lose.”

H.R. 8167 was introduced in June and is awaiting a hearing in committee. If the measure becomes law, Allen said it would devastate the funding sources for wildlife conservation and he encourages all Oklahoma outdoorsmen and women to contact their congressional representative and ask for a ’no‚ vote.

“We must engage our federal delegation and let them know how important these funding sources are to ensure Oklahoma‚s outdoor fishing, hunting and other sportsman activities and industry are preserved for years to come,” Allen said.