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Committee hears broad support for keeping federal lands federal; amendment passes but HJ 39 is tabled
Summary
The House Natural Resources Committee heard testimony from conservation, hunting and recreation groups urging federal management of public lands. An amendment to HJ 39 passed 9–5 in committee, but the resolution failed final committee action and was tabled after a 6–8 vote.
The House Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday heard hours of testimony supporting House Joint Resolution 39 (HJ 39), a bipartisan statement urging that federal public lands remain under federal ownership and control. Proponents from conservation and sportsmen’s groups told the committee that federal management preserves public access, protects wildlife habitat and avoids large costs to the state.
Representative Seconder, the sponsor, opened the hearing and emphasized the resolution’s scope: "This resolution has nothing to do with state owned lands, only federal lands," he said, arguing that the measure is about ownership rather than day‑to‑day management. The sponsor warned that transferring federal lands to state control would carry large fiscal burdens, saying the state could face "between $300,000,000 and $500,000,000 annually" in management costs.
Why it matters: supporters said federal ownership protects multiuse access (hunting, fishing,…
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