Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid filed cloture on Senate Bill 2363, the Bipartisan Sportsman’s Act, without any Republican amendments added to it this morning. 

This action by Reid will probably cause Republicans, 20 of which have co-sponsored the bill, to pull their backing and filibuster the bill.

It was only Monday that the Senate voted 82-12 to advance the legislation despite opposition from a handful of Democrats who wanted  gun control added to the bill.

Murkowski assembled the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act (S. 2363), with Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C. The legislation, which has 44 cosponsors, aims to protect access to public lands for sportsmen and women. A 2003 Department of the Interior report to Congress found that there were access issues on 35 million acres of public land.

Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., used a procedural tactic to bring the legislation up on the floor that bypassed the regular committee process. Murkowski said the maneuver left her Senate colleagues without the traditional opportunity to offer amendments in committee – making the floor amendment process that much more important. 

“It’s important to remember that this package has not gone through the traditional path of a committee process. I feel very strongly that all of our colleagues should have an opportunity to provide their perspectives and their insights before we take a final vote on this bill,” Murkowski said. 

There have so far been 46 amendments filed to the bill. Majority Leader Reid appears to believe that relevant amendments are too difficult for Democrats to vote on, Murkowski said. She urged him to reconsider that position, but Reid was so eager to take down the bill, he tried to “fill the tree” – blocking amendments – even before a vote on the motion to proceed. 

“I want to be clear this morning: the Republican conference is prepared to vote on all relevant amendments,” Murkowski said. “We should do our jobs as U.S. senators. We came here to represent our states and our country, but unfortunately, we are continually denied that ability here on the Senate floor.”  

  act, Alaska, amendments, bipartisan, cloture, harry reid, murkowski, Politics, sportsman