WASHINGTON – Freshman Republican Rep. Jeff Hurd passed his first bill through both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate on Thursday.
The bipartisan Wetlands Conservation and Access Improvement Act of 2025 (H.R. 2316) will extend funding from hunting sales to wildlife restoration efforts. The bill was first introduced in March and passed the House in July. It now goes to President Donald Trump’s desk to be signed.
“It's a win for conservation and Colorado,” Hurd said in a statement. “The bill strengthens funding for the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, supporting hunters, improving wetland health, and expanding access to the outdoors. It delivers real, measurable benefits for wildlife habitat and the rural economies that depend on it. I’m honored to lead this bipartisan effort on behalf of Colorado’s Third District.”
As a freshman in Congress, Hurd began his term in January. He told The Durango Herald that when he ran for his seat, he made a commitment to stand up for hunters and rural communities. According to Hurd, he represents a district where hunting is not just a tradition but a part of the culture and economy.
“Generations of families in Colorado’s Third District grew up hunting, fishing, and passing those values down,” Hurd said in a statement to the Herald. “But those traditions depend on healthy wildlife habitats and reliable conservation funding.”
Hurd saw an opportunity to extend a section of the Pittman Robertson Act, a law that funds wildlife restoration and conservation through an excise tax on sporting arms, ammunition and archery equipment. H.R. 2316 extends the date from 2026 to 2033 when interest earned on the Pittman Robertson trust fund becomes available for apportionment to the states. The money goes directly to the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, according to Hurd.
“Since 2004, that interest has generated roughly $11 million a year, supporting wetlands and waterfowl projects across the country,” Hurd said. “For hunters, that means more access to public lands, healthier wetlands for waterfowl, stronger habitat for elk, deer, and upland birds, and better hunting opportunities season after season. This is a conservation investment that directly benefits the hunting community.”
Because H.R. 2316 builds on the Pittman Robertson Act, the legislation had a base of bipartisan support and was co-sponsored by three Democrats, Sarah Elfreth of Maryland, Adam Gray of California and Sarah McBride of Delaware.
“Freshmen do not often get bills to the President’s desk in their first year,” Hurd said. “The challenge was not in convincing people that this mattered, it was in navigating the process. I leaned on the strength of the issue itself. Hunters and sportsmen have a long history of leading on conservation.”
Hurd said he thinks this bill is proof that issues related to hunting, conservation and rural communities can unite people.
“At a time when Washington is known for gridlock, hunters have once again shown that their legacy of conservation can cut through the noise,” Hurd said. “Hunters have always been at the heart of America’s conservation story, and this is another chapter in that legacy.”
Hurd’s vision for his time in Congress is to “build a record of results that hunters and rural communities can point to with pride.” He sees the bill as a first step in that direction.
“This win lays the foundation for an agenda that focuses on conserving wildlife habitat, improving access to public lands, and making sure Colorado’s outdoor way of life remains strong,” Hurd said. “That is the kind of work I intend to do every single day I serve.”
Abigail Hatting is an intern for The Durango Herald and The Journal in Cortez and a senior at American University in Washington, D.C. She can be reached at ahatting@durangoherald.com.
