Florida Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R) has scored another win with the passing of H.R. 4389. The House has passed Rep. Salazar's bipartisan bill to protect migratory birds in Miami throughout the Americas.
Called The Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancements Act, it will safeguard Miami's wildlife and the environment by protecting migratory birds in South Florida and across the Americas. The bill notes that the Florida Everglades as a critical habitat for many birds, which includes Herons, Egrets, and Ibises.
In a statement, Rep. Salazar championed the passing of the bill, saying that "migratory birds provide innumerable ecological, economic, and recreational benefits to Miami and the Everglades, and this legislation will protect these iconic birds for generations to come." "By passing H.R. 4389, the House is making a commitment to the protection of our South Florida ecosystem while also boosting our wildlife recreation sector.”
A press release from Salazar's office mentions that the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act provides competitive grants for habitat conservation, monitoring and research, and community outreach and education. With the Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancement Act of 2023, it reauthorizes this program for the next 5 years, and it will fund projects in the Western Hemisphere that have a positive effect on migratory birds.
House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman and Arkansas Rep. Bruce Westerman (R) praised the passing of the bill, commenting that it "will ensure that the federal government can continue an effective program that has supported the conservation of neotropical migratory birds across North American for two decades."
Rep. Westerman also championed Rep. Salazar, highlighting that she "has fought hard for both conservation efforts for her state and the nation and has worked with both sides of the aisle to help pass this commonsense, bipartisan bill through the House."
