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Committee tightens tenant definition in bill on nonresident landowner deer permits, then tables measure
Summary
The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee amended language to narrow who qualifies as a "tenant" for nonresident landowner deer permits, rejected a Nature Conservancy substitution, and then voted to table Senate Bill 80 for future consideration.
The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources amended Senate Bill 80 on a voice vote to tighten the statutory definition of a tenant for purposes of nonresident landowner deer permits, then later tabled the bill for future consideration.
The committee’s chair moved to amend SB 80 with a staff-drafted “balloon” that adds the words “a resident of Kansas” to the tenant definition and requires that a tenant be “actively involved in agriculture.” The chair said the change was intended to prevent people from claiming tenant status solely by lease and to address enforcement issues the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks reported about verifying tenant status. The amendment passed on a voice vote.
Senators discussed border cases during debate. The chair said the amendment also allows people who live in counties bordering Kansas (in Missouri, Oklahoma, Colorado or Nebraska) to be considered tenants for a landowner deer tag if their residence is in a county that borders Kansas and they lease a significant amount of land in Kansas. Senator Shane and other members urged a larger discussion about wildlife management and tag allocation, saying the amendment does not fully address concerns about hunting pressure on leased or multi-owner tracts.
After committee members considered a section of language proposed by the Nature Conservancy that would have restricted nonresident landowner permits to lands included in "qualified management activities" promoting native habitat, Senator Francisco moved to adopt the Nature Conservancy language. The committee rejected that motion on a voice vote.
Senator Shane then moved to table SB 80 for future consideration; Senator Titus seconded. The motion to table carried on a voice vote and the bill was set aside without a date.
The transcript record shows the committee did not reach a final substantive decision on the underlying policy: the chair’s amendment restored the prior authorization while narrowing tenant eligibility, the Nature Conservancy substitution was defeated, and the committee chose to table the bill rather than advance it.
