SPONSOR: Boggs
COMMITTEE ACTION: Voted "Do Pass" by the Standing Committee on Conservation and Natural Resources by a vote of 15 to 4. Voted "Do Pass" by the Standing Committee on Rules- Legislative Oversight by a vote of 6 to 3.
This bill prohibits the Department of Conservation from requiring a landowner to register his or her property before receiving any landowner hunting permit or possess a permit to take wildlife on his or her property. The Conservation Commission must issue landowner hunting permits requested by any resident or nonresident landowner who owns at least five acres of real property.
This bill is the same as SB 427 (2021) and similar to HB 2530 (2020).
PROPONENTS: Supporters say that the landowner registry required by the Department is an extra burden on landowners. Many of the landowners have been hunting on their property for years and for those who do not own 20 acres, the new regulations may lead some normally law abiding citizens to hunt without a permit.
Testifying for the bill were Representative Boggs and Missouri Cattlemen's Association. Additional written testimony was submitted in support of the bill.
OPPONENTS: Those who oppose the bill say that landowner permits are in response to landowners maintaining and providing essential habitat for game. For large game, five acres is not enough land to provide adequate habitat.
Testifying against the bill was Tyler Schwartze, Conservation Federation of Missouri. Additional written testimony was submitted in opposition to the bill.
OTHERS: Others testifying on the bill say that the regulation changes were in response to stakeholder input and misuse of the current landowner permits. Through stakeholder input the average acreage needed to provide habitat for large game was 21 acres. Therefore the Commission set the acreage requirement at 20 acres to receive a landowner permit.
Testifying on the bill were Missouri Farm Bureau and Missouri Department of Conservation.
Written testimony has been submitted for this bill. The full written testimony can be found under Testimony on the bill page on the House website.
Statutes affected: