Committee holds first hearing on bill to lower senior hunting and fishing license age to 65

House Bill 64, the “Senior Sportsman Fairness Act,” received its first hearing April 1 before the Senate Agricultural and Natural Resource Committee, where sponsors said the bill would move the senior discounted hunting and fishing license age from 66 to 65.

Supporters told the committee the change is intended to correct what they described as an anachronism in state law and to encourage outdoor activity among older residents. "This is a very straightforward bill," a sponsor told the committee, noting the proposal follows outreach from constituents and would align the license age with other senior discount ages in the Ohio Revised Code.

The sponsor said HB64 passed the Ohio House Natural Resource Committee on March 5 with unanimous committee support and later passed the full Ohio House the same day by a 96-0 vote. Testimony before the Senate committee described how the current age threshold — 66 — dates to 1913 and does not match other senior benefit thresholds in state law. The sponsor said the bill would lower the resident hunting license fee from $25 to $10 for eligible seniors and move the regular adult hunting fee to $10 as well; fishing license costs were described as dropping from $25 to $10 for seniors. The sponsor estimated the change would reduce Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) revenue by about $300,000 in the first year but said ODNR supports the change because higher out-of-state license revenue would offset the loss.

Committee members asked about the origin of the age 66 threshold and discussed the bill briefly before Chair Schafer declared the official first hearing for HB64.

The hearing produced no formal vote or committee action beyond recording the first hearing. Sponsors said they would be available to answer follow-up questions as the bill moves forward.

The committee later approved the meeting minutes for April 1 and proceeded to other agenda items.