National Wildlife Refuges

House Roll Call Vote 424

1997 Scorecard Vote

Pro-environment vote

Yes

Votes For

419

Votes Against

1

Not Voting

13

The 92 million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System has operated without an explicit mission since its creation in 1903. As a consequence, many uses that are incompatible with wildlife protection have been allowed to occur on some refuges, including farming, cattle grazing, and oil and gas production. At least three congresses have attempted to establish a legislative mandate for the Refuge System but were unable to resolve differences over what human uses should be allowed in the refuges. In particular, some hunting organizations wanted recreational hunting to be an express purpose of the refuges, equal to wildlife protection. However, most environmental and sportsmen organizations insisted that wildlife protection be the Refuge System’s primary mission, and that hunting be allowed only in specific refuges where it is judged to be compatible with wildlife protection. In 1997, key Members of Congress, the Department of the Interior, and a limited number of interest groups resolved these differences and agreed to legislative language.

H.R. 1420, sponsored by Resources Committee Chairman Don Young (R-AK), establishes for the first time that conservation of fish and wildlife is the basic mission for the nation’s 509 wildlife refuges. If determined to be compatible with conservation and the purposes of a particular refuge, “wildlife-dependent” recreation, including “hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, or environmental education and interpretation” are recognized as priority uses of the refuges and are allowed. Other uses may be allowed if they are found to be compatible. The bill also requires conservation plans to be developed for each refuge, and requires the Secretary of the Interior to ensure that the biological integrity, diversity, and health of the system are protected.

The House passed H.R. 1420 on June 3, 1997, 407 – 1, and the Senate passed the bill on September 10, 1997, by unanimous consent (without a vote). The House agreed to the minor amendments made by the Senate on September 23, 1997, and passed H.R. 1420, 419 – 1. YES is the pro-environment vote. The President signed the bill into law on October 9, 1997.

Votes

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Alabama
2024 State Scorecard Average

15%

Alaska
2024 State Scorecard Average

58%

Arizona
2024 State Scorecard Average

30%

Arkansas
2024 State Scorecard Average

4%

California
2024 State Scorecard Average

75%

Colorado
2024 State Scorecard Average

52%

Connecticut
2024 State Scorecard Average

97%

Delaware
2024 State Scorecard Average

100%

Florida
2024 State Scorecard Average

30%

Georgia
2024 State Scorecard Average

35%

Hawaii
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98%

Idaho
2024 State Scorecard Average

5%

Illinois
2024 State Scorecard Average

81%

Indiana
2024 State Scorecard Average

24%

Iowa
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5%

Kansas
2024 State Scorecard Average

25%

Kentucky
2024 State Scorecard Average

20%

Louisiana
2024 State Scorecard Average

21%

Maine
2024 State Scorecard Average

71%

Maryland
2024 State Scorecard Average

83%

Massachusetts
2024 State Scorecard Average

96%

Michigan
2024 State Scorecard Average

54%

Minnesota
2024 State Scorecard Average

47%

Mississippi
2024 State Scorecard Average

24%

Missouri
2024 State Scorecard Average

21%

Montana
2024 State Scorecard Average

2%

Nebraska
2024 State Scorecard Average

4%

Nevada
2024 State Scorecard Average

72%

New Hampshire
2024 State Scorecard Average

88%

New Jersey
2024 State Scorecard Average

78%

New Mexico
2024 State Scorecard Average

94%

New York
2024 State Scorecard Average

63%

North Carolina
2024 State Scorecard Average

47%

North Dakota
2024 State Scorecard Average

0%

Ohio
2024 State Scorecard Average

33%

Oklahoma
2024 State Scorecard Average

3%

Oregon
2024 State Scorecard Average

68%

Pennsylvania
2024 State Scorecard Average

56%

Rhode Island
2024 State Scorecard Average

100%

South Carolina
2024 State Scorecard Average

17%

South Dakota
2024 State Scorecard Average

0%

Tennessee
2024 State Scorecard Average

13%

Texas
2024 State Scorecard Average

33%

Utah
2024 State Scorecard Average

6%

Vermont
2024 State Scorecard Average

100%

Virginia
2024 State Scorecard Average

55%

Washington
2024 State Scorecard Average

72%

West Virginia
2024 State Scorecard Average

0%

Wisconsin
2024 State Scorecard Average

24%

Wyoming
2024 State Scorecard Average

3%