Two U.S. Senators have introduced legislation to address a host of state and federal needs in the fight to contain chronic wasting disease (CWD), which is considered a serious threat to the future of deer hunting in the United States.

The Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act will have an annual $70 million investment through fiscal year 2028, divided between CWD management and research priorities.

The NRA, as a member of the conservation coalition known as American Wildlife Conservation Partners, has signed a letter urging the Senate to act swiftly in passing H.R. s608.

In both bills, $35 million per year for research would focus on: Methods to effectively detect CWD in live and harvest deer and the surrounding environment. Best practices for reducing CWD occurrence through sustainable harvest of deer and other cervids. Factors contributing to the spread of the disease locally include animal movement and scavenging.

Another $35 million per year for management, including surveillance and testing, would prioritize: Areas with the highest incidence of CWD, areas responding to new outbreaks of CWD, areas without CWD showing the most risk of CWD emerging, jurisdictions demonstrating the greatest financial commitment to managing, monitoring, surveying and researching CWD, efforts to develop comprehensive policies and programs focused on CWD management.

The bill also includes authorization for federal, state and Tribal agencies to develop educational materials to inform the public on CWD and directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture to review it's Herd Certification Program, which accredits captive operations as "low-risk" for CWD contamination but has proven inadequate to stop the spread of CWD.

NRA Donates Money to the State of Oklahoma!

The National Rifle ASSOCIATION (NRA) has announced they made a donation of $122,720 to the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission because of the overwhelming use of NRA's free Online Hunter Education course taken by Oklahoma residents in 2021.

The $122,720 can be used by the Commission to apply for Pittman-Robertson grants that will result in $368,160 of funds for the department.

Hunter education online course offers a fresh and fully comprehensive approach to Hunter Education. The 15th chapter, online sequence features attention grabbing videos, eye-catching graphics and diagrams, interactive modules, audio recordings and dozens of action photos presented in appealing, easy to access components that provide the best method for teaching future hunters lessons they will remember for the rest of their lives. To take the NRA Hunter Education online course or learn more, visit nrahe.org.