Congress overwhelmingly passes bill protecting funding school hunting, archery courses

Congress overwhelmingly passed a bill to protect federal funding for school hunting and archery courses after the Biden administration interpreted the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to prohibit money from going toward shooting sports activities.

Republican Reps. Mark Green of Tennessee and Richard Hudson of North Carolina introduced the "Protecting Hunting Heritage and Education Act" last month, and it passed the House on Tuesday in a 424-1 vote, with the lone "Nay" coming from Texas Democrat Rep. Veronica Escobar.

The Senate passed the legislation Wednesday by unanimous consent. 

"I’m grateful for the overwhelming bipartisan support this bill garnered in the House, the Senate, and across the country," Green said after the bill passed the Senate. "Both sides of the aisle agree that shooting sports and archery programs in schools contribute to the well-being and development of students."

The Education Department told Fox News Digital in July that it had immediately stopped allocating federal funding toward school shooting programs after the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act became law last year following a string of mass shootings.

Moderate Democrat Sens, such as Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Jon Tester of Montana, have all spoken out against the administration's interpretation of the legislation. 

The bill protecting school funding will be sent to the president, who can decide whether to sign it into law. 

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