President Biden Makes Final Signature To Send Through Duck Stamp Modernization Act

President Biden’s signature yesterday was the final step to enact the Duck Stamp Modernization Act, which will allow digital purchases of the Federal Duck Stamp after the legislation was voted through by the Senate and House.

Here’s the press brief from the White House:

S. 788, the “Duck Stamp Modernization Act of 2023, which amends current law to authorize the use of electronic Federal duck stamps in lieu of physical stamps to meet migratory water hunter licensing requirements;

Thank you to Senators Boozman, Manchin, Marshall and King, and Representatives Graves and Mike Thompson, for their leadership.

And some reaction from the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation:

President Biden Signs CSC Leaders Sen. Boozman, Rep. Graves’ Duck Stamp Modernization Act into Law

December 20, 2023 (Washington, D.C.) – Yesterday, President Biden signed S. 788, the Duck Stamp Modernization Act, into law, delivering a significant victory to the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) and waterfowl hunters across the nation.  

CSF extends our appreciation to Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Leaders Co-Chairs Sens. John Boozman and Joe Manchin, CSC Vice-Chairs Sens. Roger Marshall and Angus King as well as CSC Vice-Chair Rep. Garret Graves and CSC Member Rep. Mike Thompson for spearheading this legislation.  

The quick enactment of the Duck Stamp Modernization Act is a result of CSF’s ability to advocate for sportsmen and women across the nation. Two weeks ago, the House of Representatives cleared S. 788 403-20 after the Senate passed the bill unanimously in July, a sign of the wide-spread support for efforts to modernize and improve the experiences of hunters across the nation. Now that the Duck Stamp Modernization Act is law, CSF is already at work to ensure that this legislation will be implemented in a timely manner, particularly in advance of 2024 – 2025 waterfowl hunting seasons, to allow for hunters to take advantage of this victory. 

“At a time when there have been few bills signed into law, CSF is glad to see the leadership of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus work collaboratively to secure the enactment of an important bill for sportsmen and women across the country,” said CSF President and CEO Jeff Crane. “The strong votes in Congress and the enactment of this legislation only further demonstrates that our sporting traditions remain an area for bipartisan agreement, and CSF is proud to work alongside the CSC to promote the unmatched bipartisan support for our sporting traditions.” 

The Duck Stamp Modernization Act will simplify the Federal Duck Stamp process by allowing hunters to have an electronic duck stamp on their smartphone for the entirety of the hunting season. Prior to the enactment of the Duck Stamp Modernization Act, when a hunter purchased an electronic Federal Duck Stamp (e-stamp), the e-stamp was only valid for a period of 45 days to allow for actual stamp to be mailed. Once the actual stamp was received, hunters were required to have a signed actual stamp on their possession while hunting. However, this legislation will remove the 45-day validation period and make the electronic stamp valid for the entirety of the hunting season. To ensure the continuance and integrity of the Federal Duck Stamp art contest, a longstanding tradition for waterfowlers, S. 788 will ensure that purchasers of e-stamps still receive the actual stamp in the mail. Specifically, the legislation will provide that actual stamps will be mailed to purchasers from March 10 to June 30.   

CSF will now shift to working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure this legislation is implemented in a timely manner.