California Waterfowl's advocacy team works actively with lawmakers from both parties to promote legislation beneficial to wetlands and hunting. We also fight detrimental bills, either opposing them outright or, when they're certain to pass, working to minimize detrimental impacts.
While CWA is focused on waterfowl, we often take positions on legislation affecting other species or forms of hunting because we know our members have diverse conservation and hunting interests. We also lobby on firearm legislation that could negatively affect law-abiding hunters.
If you sign up for our action alerts, we'll let you know when it's time to contact your representatives in Sacramento or Washington, D.C., and we'll make it easy for you to contact them by email through our Voter Voice system.
STATE LEGISLATION
There are dozens of bills that CWA is currently monitoring. Below are the ones that we have thus far taken a position on and are actively lobbying:
SUPPORT
Lifetime Hunting & Fishing Licenses/Gold Star Families
AB 293 (Juan Alanis): Would provide lifetime hunting and fishing licenses for immediate family members of service killed in action.
State Property/Youth Shooting & Non-Profit Events
AB 1507 (James Gallagher): Would provide an exemption for nonprofit groups from the prohibition on selling firearms and ammunition on State property.
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act/Wetlands
AB 828 (Damon Connolly): Bill to be amended to provide an exemption for certain managed wetlands rom groundwater pumping restrictions/fees under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
Hunting/Navigable Water
AB 859 (James Gallagher): CWA-sponsored bill to make technical changes to the Fish and Game Code to clarify the use of navigable floodwaters for hunting, consistent with existing State Attorney General Opinions.
Junior Hunting License/Age Eligibility
SB 772 (Brian Dahle): Would increase the junior hunting license age eligibility from 15 to 17 years of age.
Sales Tax/Gun Safety Systems
SB 243 (Kelly Seyarto): Would provide a sales tax exemption for the purchase of gun safes, trigger locks and other firearm safety systems.
OPPOSE
Firearms/Ammo Excise Tax
AB 28 (Jesse Gabriel): Bill to be amended to place a tax on the sale of firearms and ammunition.
Gun Liability Insurance Requirement
SB 8 (Nancy Skinner): Bill to be amended to require all gun owners to purchase liability insurance for their firearms.
Firearms/Dealer Requirements
SB 368 (Anthony Portantino, D-La Cañada Flintridge): Would prohibit the raffling of handguns, including for the purposes on raising funds for nonprofits.
