Great Lakes Bass Fishing Forum

From MUCC, SENATE BILLS 288 & 289: SCIENTIFIC WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT (http://www.mucc.org/2013/04/senate-bills-288-289-scientific-wildlife-management/)

Introduced April 9th, 2013. Referred to Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Environment.

Summary:  This bill package establishes a right to hunt, fish and trap; provides free licenses to active-duty members of the military; provides conservation funding for fish and game management, research, education and outreach; grants the Natural Resources Commission exclusive authority to issue fisheries regulations and concurrent authority with the legislature to designate a game species.

SB 288 provides free licenses to members of the military. It also shares the legislature's current exclusive authority to designate a game animal with the Natural Resources Commission, which is mandated to use sound science in its wildlife management decisions. The legislature retains the exclusive authority to remove a game species. SB 288 also grants the Natural Resources Commission the exclusive authority to make fisheries regulations, as it currently has for game species. Finally, SB 288 provides conservation funding for fish and game management and research, education and outreach related to hunting, fishing, game animals, predators and prey.

SB 289 establishes a right in Michigan to hunt, fish and trap and adds the protection of the rights to hunt, fish and trap as a purpose of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act.

MUCC is supporting this 2-bill package. I will attempt to find out more between now, and during next Thursday's April 18 Camo at the Capitol (http://www.greatlakesbass.com/conservation/index.php/2013/04/12/camo-at-the-capitol-2013) rally.

Update: both of these bills were passed by the State Senate and House in slightly amended form, and signed into law by Governor Snyder into law on May 8, 2013.

The Natural Resources Commission now has fisheries regulation authority pretty much equal to the legislature.

Michigan B.A.S.S. Nation helped get these bills passed through their conservation program efforts.