Committee reviews bill to set deadline for hunting and fishing rules and guide publication

The House Committee on Natural Resources took up House Bill 44029, sponsored by Representative Brad Slaw, which would require the Natural Resources Commission to adopt any hunting and trapping rules by Aug. 15 if the commission wanted those rules to apply during that calendar year and would require the Department of Natural Resources to publish the annual hunting and fishing guide by Aug. 15 and make hard copies available.

Representative Brad Slaw said the measure is intended to give hunters and anglers reliable notice of rules before seasons begin. "This bill would ensure that the users of our natural resources had sufficient time and ability to be knowledgeable of the rules that they have to follow when they're in the woods, in the fields, or on the waterways," Slaw said.

Chris Semrinac, legislative liaison for the Department of Natural Resources, told the committee the department does not yet have a formal position but is working with Slawon a potential substitute. "We currently do not have a position on the bill as we are working with Rep. Slaw on a potential substitute to get to supportive," Semrinac said. He said the department agrees that a clear deadline would help staff and stakeholders by providing lead time for drafting, design and publication work.

Semrinac said staff are considering an earlier administrative deadline for commission passagesometime in June or Julyto allow time for the department to incorporate adopted regulations into the printed and online guides. He also said the department would seek a technical amendment to preserve the agency's authority to issue emergency orders under existing law: "We are currently allowed, to issue emergency orders under part 411 of INREPA," Semrinac said, and the draft substitute would protect that ability.

Committee members asked how the printed guides are distributed; Representative Wirtz noted that guides can be hard to find in rural areas. Semrinac said the guides are traditionally distributed through vendors that sell hunting and fishing licenses and are also made available online for downloading and printing.

The department gave an example of why emergency authority is needed: Semrinac said staff canceled a recent Black Lake sturgeon season when ice conditions made access unsafe, noting that emergency changes are rare but sometimes necessary to protect people and fish.

No formal committee vote on HB 44029 was recorded during this hearing. Representatives and DNR staff said a substitute bill is expected that would adjust internal deadlines and explicitly preserve emergency rulemaking authority; the sponsor and department said they would continue to work together on that substitute.