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Committee advances duck-stamp bill to fund waterfowl habitat access and track resident participation
Summary
The committee recommended a due pass on Senate Bill 22-16, a bill that updates resident duck-stamp rules to improve tracking of resident waterfowl hunters and to create a funding stream for habitat access through the PLOTS program.
The committee considered Senate Bill 22-16, a bill to modify the state’s resident duck-stamp requirements and funding for waterfowl access. Representative Doctor moved for a due pass; Representative Foss seconded.
Representative Doctor described the bill as allowing Game and Fish to more accurately determine resident participation in duck hunting and said revenue would be used to enhance waterfowl habitat through the PLOTS program. A department witness, Casey Anderson, wildlife division chief for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, told the committee the bill was intended primarily to improve data about resident waterfowl hunters and to create a dedicated funding source to work with private landowners to increase public access. Anderson told the committee the new funding could be used to match federal grants and existing Pittman‑Robertson (Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration) funds when federal programs are available: “this funding could be used with PR match too,” he said.
Committee members asked whether a federal match was guaranteed; the department witness said the language was written to allow the department to use funds for matching when federal programs are available, but that a specific federal match is not guaranteed. The sponsor said the estimate for the revenue stream would be roughly $200,000 in the relevant biennium and that those funds would flow into the PLOTS program for waterfowl-specific access projects.
After discussion the clerk called roll on a motion to recommend a due pass on Senate Bill 22-16. The roll call recorded affirmative votes from members present and the committee reported the bill as recommended for passage.
