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Senate Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks panel amends HB 553 to remove resident turkey-stamp fee
Summary
The Senate Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Committee reconsidered House Bill 553 and approved an amendment that removes a $10 per-stamp fee for resident hunters while leaving fees for nonresidents; the committee then reported the bill as amended.
The Senate Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Committee reconsidered House Bill 553 and voted to amend the bill to remove a proposed $10 fee for resident hunters for each turkey stamp while leaving fees for nonresident hunters in place.
The amendment, offered by Senator Whaley, would strike language that set a $10 fee for resident hunters and limit that charge to nonresidents. "My amendment . . . to strike that language to where it only applies to nonresident hunters," Whaley said when presenting the change. The committee chair called the question and members approved the amendment; no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.
Committee members and a department representative discussed related implementation issues. A department speaker said the commission has voted to implement physical turkey tagging in 2026 and that the "ultimate goal would be a no cost tag, especially if you do it virtually. There's absolutely no cost. But if there is a processing fee to get physical tags, then the turkey stamp could help offset the administrative fee." The department also confirmed that hunters must currently report harvested turkeys and that they may do so using the agency app, the website, or by phone: "All the harvested turkeys have to be reported. You can use the app, you can use the website, or you can call them in."
Senators raised concerns about the cumulative cost of hunting for young and low-income hunters. Senator Wiley and others asked the department to check whether there would be any processing fees associated with tags and whether the fee structure would create barriers to participation. A committee member also asked how the turkey-tag implementation would be funded; the department said revenue from a wild turkey stamp could help offset administrative costs for physical tags if processing fees are charged.
After adopting the amendment, the committee proceeded to a motion to report the bill out of committee as amended. The committee chair announced the bill "will be reported." The transcript does not include a roll-call vote or counts for the amendment or the final motion to report.
Next steps: HB 553, as amended to waive the resident per-stamp fee, will be reported out of the Senate Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Committee for further consideration; details on final fee amounts for nonresidents and any processing fees for physical tags were not specified in the committee record.
