U.S. Senators Tommy Tuberville and Mike Crapo introduced the Sporting Goods Excise Tax Modernization Act (S. 1649) to close a loophole that allows foreign manufacturers of fishing and archery equipment to evade conservation excise taxes by selling direct to consumers in the United States. A similar version of the bill (H.R. 1494) was recently introduced in the House by Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Co-Chair Congressman Jimmy Panetta and CSC Member Rep. Blake Moore, demonstrating strong bipartisan and bicameral support for protecting conservation funding. Conservation organizations have been working to raise awareness of the issue for several years. In late 2024, the Government Accountability Office released a report recognizing the loss of revenue for conservation and recommending legislation that would fix the loophole.

“The American System of Conservation has been vital to restoring and protecting the abundant fish and wildlife resources we have in this country today,” said CSF Senior Director of Fisheries Policy, Chris Horton. “We’re grateful that Senators Tuberville and Crapo are leading the effort on the Senate side to protect the unique and highly successful Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs while safeguarding the competitiveness of U.S. based manufacturers and importers of fishing tackle and archery equipment.”