Washington, D.C.—On Friday, December 16, President Obama signed the Water Infrastructure Improvements for our Nation (WIIN) Act into law, which includes H.R. 5765, legislation introduced by Rep. Darin LaHood entitled the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act of 2016. This bill supports fish and wildlife in the Great Lakes, and will revitalize daily commercial, recreational, and preservation activities throughout the waterways in Illinois, which borders Lake Michigan.
“I am pleased to see legislation that I introduced in the House earlier this year signed into law by the President. As a father who regularly enjoys the outdoors with my three sons, modernizing the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act will revamp conservation efforts for outdoorsmen and increase economic opportunities for our fishermen,” stated Rep. Darin LaHood. “I want to thank my colleagues, Rep. Debbie Dingell (MI-12) and Rep. Candice Miller (MI-10), for joining me in introducing this legislation and for their bipartisan efforts to protect our Great Lakes and wildlife conservation efforts. The Midwest is the fortunate home of the beautiful Great Lakes region, and improving its conservation will surely improve state’s commercial, recreational, and preservation activities throughout our waterways.”
The Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act was last reauthorized in 2006. H.R. 5765 directs the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to work with states and other agencies to develop and execute proposals to conserve, restore and manage fish and wildlife populations, and their habitats. Since 1998, the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act has provided federal funding to 148 research and restoration projects in the Great Lakes Basin that target challenges like habitat restoration, fish species reproduction, and Asian Carp.
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