Natural resources: hunting; pheasant hunting licensing; eliminate sunset. Amends sec. 43525c of 1994 PA 451 (MCL 324.43525c).
Summary
HB 4401 amends Michigan’s Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to continue and revise the state’s pheasant hunting licensing program. The bill requires most individuals age 18 or older to have a current annual pheasant hunting license, in addition to a base license, to hunt pheasants. The license fee is set at $25. The bill also specifies several exemptions, including people hunting only at licensed game bird preserves, people hunting pheasants on private land (except land enrolled in the hunting access program), people hunting on public land in the Upper Peninsula, and holders of certain lifetime hunting licenses.
The bill also addresses how the license is issued and how revenue is handled. If the license is issued as a stamp, it must be affixed to the hunter’s base license and signed, though collectors may buy a stamp without using it for hunting. Revenue from pheasant licenses is deposited into a dedicated pheasant subaccount within the game and fish protection account. Money in that subaccount does not lapse at the end of the fiscal year, and the Department of Natural Resources may use appropriated funds only for purchasing and releasing live pheasants on suitable state-owned land.
Impact
HB 4401 amends MCL 324.43525c to remove the sunset on pheasant hunting licensing and preserve the annual license requirement and associated fee structure. It creates or continues a dedicated pheasant subaccount in the game and fish protection account, directs license revenue there, and restricts spending to pheasant stocking activities on state-owned land. The bill affects pheasant hunters, license collectors, the Department of Natural Resources, and state wildlife funding administration.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have broad support and little visible opposition. It was reported from committee without amendment on a 16-0 vote, passed the House 104-4, and passed the Senate 33-2, all with immediate effect. The vote pattern suggests the measure was viewed as a routine wildlife-management and funding bill rather than a controversial policy change.
Contention
The main policy issue is the continued requirement that most pheasant hunters pay a separate annual $25 license fee, which some may view as an added cost on top of the base hunting license. Another point of interest is the bill’s narrow exemptions, especially the different treatment of private land, hunting access program lands, the Upper Peninsula, and lifetime license holders. No committee transcript indicates major debate, and the strong vote margins suggest any objections were limited and not central to the bill’s passage.