HR0787 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0787 LRB099 14217 GRL 38281 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has a rich and storied tradition of hunting and angling that dates back further than the State itself and carries forward to this day; and

WHEREAS, Illinois' sportsmen and women were among the first conservationists to support the establishment of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to conserve fish, wildlife, and their habitat, and, through their license fees, helped fund State efforts to provide for healthy and sustainable natural resources; and

WHEREAS, Upon realizing that license fees alone were insufficient to restore and sustain healthy fish and wildlife populations, sportsmen and women supported self-imposed excise taxes on hunting, fishing, and boating equipment to raise additional conservation funds; and

WHEREAS, To this day, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources is funded primarily by sportsmen and women through the American System of Conservation Funding - a "user pays - public benefits" approach that is widely recognized as the most successful model of fish and wildlife management in the world; and

WHEREAS, In 2013 alone, Illinois's sportsmen and women generated $63,419,348 through this System to support the conservation efforts of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources; and

WHEREAS, Illinois' 1,309,000 hunters and anglers support the State's economy through spending more than $2.34 billion while engaged in their pursuits; this spending supports over 31,597 jobs in Illinois and generates $277 million in State and local taxes; and

WHEREAS, National Hunting and Fishing Day was established in 1972 to celebrate and recognize hunters and anglers for their immense contributions to fish and wildlife conservation and to our society; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we designate September 26, 2015 as National Hunting and Fishing Day in Illinois, a day to be set aside in celebration of Illinois's sportsmen and women; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we recognize the many and varied social, cultural, economic, and ecological benefits of our time-honored traditions of hunting and angling.