FIFTH WEEK OF THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION
The temperatures in Des Moines may have cooled down but things are starting to heat up at the capitol as the first legislative funnel is three weeks away.
As I will discuss further in the newsletter, several bills passed through the House and Senate Natural Resources Committees and are eligible for floor debate.
However, don’t expect floor debate until after the March 7 funnel deadline as the legislature will be deciding whether to advance, or not advance bills through subcommittees and full committees ahead of that legislative deadline.
LEGISLATIVE ISSUES
One of ISC’s top legislative priorities was introduced this week, eliminating the celebrity deer tag (SF 293).
SF 293 eliminates the celebrity deer tag and specifies that the fifty special nonresident conservation deer tags distributed by the department will be allocated solely to Iowa conservation groups and the governor. Conservation groups will receive forty, and the governor will receive ten. If the governor does not use her allocated tags, they will revert to conservation groups.
This bill will have a corresponding companion bill in the House. Please contact members of the Senate Natural Resources and Environment Committee and ask them to pass this bill!
BILL TRACKER
**New information highlighted in yellow**
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
Great news! One of ISC’s top legislative priorities was introduced in the Senate. SF 293, eliminates the celebrity deer tag, and now, nearly thirty years after its creation, Iowa is facing increased pressure from nonresidents and a growing push to raise the number of nonresident tags. This issue can be traced back to the celebrity deer tag program. Once word spread that Iowa was a prime destination for whitetail deer hunting, the wait time for nonresidents has grown to nearly five or six years.
Each year, the DNR allocates 50 special nonresident deer tags to conservation groups, the governor, and celebrities. SF 293 proposes that forty of these tags go to conservation groups, with the remaining ten going to the governor. By reducing exposure to the celebrity tag, we anticipate that the pressure on Iowa’s deer hunting resources will decrease over time.
Finally, HF 378, a bill we have been tracking since the first week of session, has passed the House Natural Resources Committee and is now eligible for floor debate. We need your voices now to contact the full House and urge their opposition. Here is what the bill proposes:
• Allows producers who experience $1,000+ economic loss to receive depredation tags and deer shooting permits
• It also allows tenants to now receive depredation and deer shooting permits if they suffer economic losses of $1,000+
• Now allows conservation officers to issue depredation and shooting permits
• Creates a January 11-31 depredation season
• Allows any deer taken with a depredation tag or shooting permit to be disposed of by composting or wastage
The bill passed the committee by one vote, indicating there is concern about it. Now is the time to make your voices heard!
Check out this link to see where/when your legislators are hosting town hall meetings.
House Natural Resources Committee
Senate Natural Resources Committee
DNR Townhalls on 2024 Hunting Season
The DNR is hosting a series of town hall-style meetings where local staff will provide updates on recently completed hunting and trapping seasons, discuss possible changes to hunting and trapping rules and regulations, and address other topics.
Meeting dates, times, and locations:
PLEASE DON’T HESITATE TO CONTACT ME!
Phil Jeneary
Proud Chapter of
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