PHEASANT HUNTING LICENSES

AND COLLECTOR STAMPS

House Bill 4313 (H-1) as adopted by the committee

Sponsor:  Rep. Gary Howell

Committee:  Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation

Complete to 11-5-19

SUMMARY:

House Bill 4313 would amend Part 435 (Hunting and Fishing Licensing) of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (NREPA) to require a pheasant hunting license to hunt pheasants and to allow collectors to obtain a pheasant hunting stamp that would not be a valid hunting license.

Currently under NREPA, a base license is required to hunt small game.[1] Under the bill, an individual who is 16 years of age or older would also have to purchase an annual pheasant hunting license for $25 in order to hunt pheasants. If the pheasant hunting license were issued as a stamp, the stamp would have to be placed on the individual’s base license and signed by the individual across its face. This fee would not apply to an individual only hunting pheasants at a properly licensed game bird hunting preserve.

However, a collector could purchase a pheasant hunting license stamp without having to place it on a base license, sign across its face, or provide proof of competency as is normally required under section 43520(2).[2] A pheasant hunting stamp purchased under these parameters would not be a valid license for hunting pheasants.

The bill provides that 75% of the fees collected under the new section would be deposited in the newly created pheasant subaccount of the Game and Fish Protection Fund to be used by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), upon appropriation, to release live pheasants on Michigan lands managed for the benefit of pheasants. The other 25% would be deposited in the Game and Fish Protection Fund to be used to restore or enhance lands to be managed for the benefit of pheasants.

The new section would be repealed effective January 1, 2026.

Proposed MCL 324.43525c

FISCAL IMPACT:

House Bill 4313 is likely to increase revenues for the DNR by requiring a $25 permit to hunt pheasants; the extent of this revenue increase is dependent on the number of permits sold, which is unclear at present. The bill may also increase law enforcement costs for the department, as DNR officers charged with verifying hunting licenses would be required to do so for pheasant hunts as well. These increases in revenues and costs would be temporary, as the section created by the bill would be repealed on January 1, 2026. The bill would create a pheasant subaccount within the larger Game and Fish Protection Fund established in the Michigan Constitution of 1963. Revenue from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses is deposited to the Game and Fish Protection Fund and its subaccounts. The sale of hunting and fishing licenses generated $30.3 million in revenue for DNR in FY 2017-18. The department’s Wildlife Division has a budget of $46.2 million for FY 2019-20, including $45.6 million for wildlife management programs. The department’s Law Enforcement Division has a budget of $44.8 million for FY 2019-20.

                                                                                        Legislative Analyst:   Emily S. Smith

                                                                                                Fiscal Analyst:   Austin Scott

■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.

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