U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker (Miss.) and Mark Pryor (Ark.) introduced the Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act, S. 2071, in the Senate yesterday. This bill would make permanent the sale of federal duck stamps online—commonly referred to as the "e-Duck Stamp program."

The e-Duck Stamp program began as a trial four years ago, allowing hunters 16 and older to purchase temporary duck stamps online until their physical stamps arrived in the mail. Prior to this pilot program, waterfowl hunters were required to buy duck stamps at post offices and sporting good stores, not all of which were readily or adequately supplied with the necessary stamps.

Scott Sutherland, director of Ducks Unlimited's Governmental Affairs Office in Washington, D.C., testified before the House Committee of Natural Resources in October 2011 to keep the e-Duck Stamp program alive after its trial run.

The U.S. House of Representatives version of the Senate bill, H.R. 3117, was introduced by Rep. Rob Wittman (Va.) and passed on Jan. 23. Following Sens. Wicker and Pryor's introduction of the Senate bill this week, supporters are pursuing co-sponsors for S. 2071.

Learn more about the federal duck stamp program at http://www.fws.gov/duckstamps/.