Eliminating the authority of the secretary of wildlife and parks to issue nonresident landowner deer permits.
Summary
SB 80 amends Kansas wildlife law governing big game permits, specifically deer permits, by removing the secretary of wildlife and parks’ authority to issue deer permits to nonresident landowners. Under current law, nonresident landowners may receive deer permits restricted to hunting only on the land they own in Kansas; this bill deletes that authority from K.S.A. 32-937. The bill otherwise leaves in place the broader framework for resident landowner and tenant permits, special family hunt-on-your-own-land permits, resident deer permits, and nonresident deer permit limits and allocation rules.
The measure is narrowly focused on deer hunting access for nonresident landowners and would change who may qualify for a deer permit under Kansas wildlife regulations. By repealing the specific statutory subsection authorizing nonresident landowner deer permits, it would eliminate a permit category that currently allows out-of-state landowners to hunt deer on their Kansas property. The bill also repeals the existing version of the statute and reenacts the section with the targeted deletion, meaning the department would no longer have statutory authority to issue those permits unless another law restored it.
Impact
If enacted, SB 80 would amend K.S.A. 32-937 to remove a permit option for nonresident owners of Kansas farm or ranch land, while preserving the rest of the deer and big game permitting structure. The practical effect would be on nonresident landowners who currently can obtain deer permits limited to their own land; they would lose that statutory pathway to hunt deer in Kansas. The bill would not alter resident landowner or tenant permits, general resident deer permits, or the existing nonresident deer permit allocation system for nonresident hunters generally.
Sentiment
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate, amendments, or partisan division in the available materials. Based on the bill text and caption, the measure appears to be a targeted policy change rather than a broad overhaul of wildlife law. The absence of recorded opposition or support in the provided context means sentiment cannot be measured from the legislative history here, though the bill’s narrow scope suggests it was likely framed as a specific correction or restriction in deer permit eligibility.
Contention
The central point of contention is likely the treatment of nonresident landowners versus resident landowners and tenants. Supporters would view the bill as limiting preferential access to deer permits for out-of-state property owners, while opponents would likely argue that nonresident landowners should retain hunting privileges tied to land ownership and management. Another possible issue is whether removing this permit category could affect landowner relations, wildlife management incentives, or economic benefits associated with hunting access on private land.