WILD TURKEY HUNTING LICENSES - H.B. 4860: COMMITTEE SUMMARY
House Bill 4860 (as passed by the House)
Sponsor: Representative Mickey Mortimer
House Committee: Conservation and Outdoor Recreation
Senate Committee: Hunting, Fishing and Forestry
Date Completed: 2-26-02
CONTENT
The bill would amend Part 435 (Hunting and Fishing Licensing) of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to allow the Natural Resources Commission to issue an order, subject to Section 40113a, requiring that all applications for wild turkey hunting licenses, or applications for wild turkey hunting licenses for certain geographic areas, be entered into a lottery designed and run by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). (Section 40113a gives the Commission the exclusive authority to regulate the taking of game in Michigan, and requires Commission orders regarding the taking of game to be made following a public meeting and an opportunity for public input.)
Currently, the Act requires all applications for a wild turkey hunting license be entered into a lottery designed and run by the DNR.
In addition, the Act requires the DNR to charge a nonrefundable application fee of up to $4 for each person who applies for a wild turkey hunting license. The bill, instead, would permit the DNR to charge a nonrefundable application fee of up to $4 for each wild turkey hunting license application that was entered into a lottery.
Currently, the Act also requires $3 of the wild turkey hunting application fee to be used for scientific research, biological survey work on wild turkeys, and wild turkey management. The bill, instead, specifies that the amount of the wild turkey hunting application fee, if any, but not more than $3, would have to be used for those purposes.
MCL 324.43524 - Legislative Analyst: Nobuko Nagata
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have an indeterminate impact on revenue to the Game and Fish Protection Fund. Elimination of the application fee would result in the loss of revenue to the Fund. Elimination of the lottery, in some management units, could result in an increase in revenue if additional licenses were sold. If the fall 2001 experience is used, and it is assumed that lotteries would not be held in units where applicants were fewer than available licenses, then the revenue loss would have been approximately $75,000. If, however, the elimination of the lottery in some units resulted in the sale of all available licenses, then the increase in game and fish revenue could have been up to $198,000.
- Fiscal Analyst: Pam GrahamS0102\s4860sa
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.