Sikes Act Amendments of 1978 Statement on Signing H.R. 13745 Into Law.

Today I am signing into law H.R. 13745, the Sikes Act Amendments of 1978.

On July 10, 1978, I vetoed an earlier version of this legislation which would have more than doubled the 1978 authorized funding level under the act and would have required the Secretaries of the Interior, Agriculture, and Defense to explain Presidential budget requests for less than the amount authorized.

As stated at that time, I am strongly committed to the sound management and conservation of fish and wildlife on public lands. However, annual appropriations for these programs must be set in the context of an effective and efficient overall public land management program. In my view, the reporting requirement contained in H.R. 10882 constituted an unacceptable intrusion on the authority of the President to present his budget recommendations to the Congress.

I am pleased, therefore, that the Congress has Teenacted legislation extending the Sikes Act through 1981, while deleting the objectionable provisions of the earlier bill. This administration will continue its efforts, in cooperation with the States under this and other laws, to ensure the conservation and enhancement of fish and wildlife on Federal lands.