FOURTH WEEK OF THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION
The week started on a somber note as news came last Friday morning that Rep. Martin Graber (R-Fort Madison) passed away. The House did not meet on Tuesday so legislators could attend the funeral in Fort Madison.
Rep. Graber was a retired Brigadier General in the Army National Guard. He had just started his third term in the Iowa House.
He was known for always having a smile on his face and a friendly salute followed by a “How we doin’?” as he walked by. His presence at the Capitol will be sorely missed.
LEGISLATIVE ISSUES
The week ended with a flurry of subcommittee and committee meetings as the first funnel deadline is a month away.
To meet the funnel deadline, a bill (excluding tax and spending bills) must pass out of a committee (ex. House bill passes out of House committee, Senate bill passes out of Senate committee).
Subcommittees this week consisted of defining nonresident party and group hunting (ISC supports), adding the option for trappers to put their DNR identification number on their trap (ISC supports), and banning the taking of deer on baited areas (ISC supports).
ISC sponsored legislation eliminating the celebrity deer tag is out of the drafting process and should be introduced soon!
BILL TRACKER
**New information highlighted in yellow**
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
Subcommittees were busy towards the end of the week as the Senate discussed bills related to group and party hunting, deer baiting, and fur trapping. ISC supported all three bills as they resolve immediate issues hunters face today. We were glad to work with legislators to advance positive legislation.
Next week, the House Natural Resources Committee will decide whether to advance HF 22 and HF 65. These are bills that would incentivize non-resident land ownership to receive buck tags; and add shooting permits for crop damage in addition to making the entire month of January an antlerless depredation season. Please contact the members of the committee and tell them to vote no on these two bills.
There has been discussion of amending HF 22 (non-resident land ownership bill) by striking the entire bill and replacing it with a new method for deciding how non-residents obtain tags. Until that language is adopted, we are asking legislators to oppose HF 22. The House committee meets on Tuesday at 10:30AM.
Meanwhile, the Senate Natural Resources and Environment Committee meets on Monday at 2:00PM. We encourage you to contact Senators and ask them to approve SF 114 (deer baiting) and SSB 1093 (fur trapping – there could be an amendment to add deer stands to the provision of using your DNR id number). These are good bills so please contact the members of the committee and ask them to pass those two bills.
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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