Game and fish bill passed

Fishing with two lines, hunting at younger ages and the creation of a new Outdoor Heritage Council are just a few of the changes proposed in the omnibus game, fish and lands policy bill passed by the House 130-4 on May 8.

HF3280/SF2651*, sponsored by Rep. David Dill (DFL-Crane Lake) and Sen. Satveer Chaudhary (DFL-Fridley), contains dozens of hunting and fishing policy initiatives, as well as the Department of Natural Resources’ annual land acquisitions bill. It now returns to the Senate, where a different version passed 64-0 on April 30.

The bill’s many game and fish provisions include:

• creating a “conservation angling license” that would cost two-thirds the price of a regular license, allow license-holders to take up to one-half of the normal fish possession limits, and be valid for 14 consecutive days;

• allowing anglers to fish with two lines simultaneously;

• allowing residents ages 10 and 11 to hunt big game provided that they are within immediate reach of a parent or guardian;

• creating a $52 all-firearm season deer hunting license allowing hunters to take two deer, only one of which may be a buck;

• allowing youth who will turn 12 years old within the calendar year to obtain a license to hunt big game; and

• increasing the cock pheasant bag limit to three per day after the 16th day of the pheasant season.

The bill would also establish a 12-member Outdoor Heritage Council to be responsible for making recommendations to the Legislature on how to use money from the outdoor heritage fund, which would be established if voters approve a proposed constitutional amendment that would dedicate new sales tax money for the environment and the arts. The proposal will be on the ballot in this fall’s general election.

Rep. Tom Hackbarth (R-Cedar) offered an amendment that would have established the Lake Vermilion State Park by appropriating nearly $23 million from a dedicated fund that is normally used for projects approved by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources.

“Boy, have I got a deal for you,” Hackbarth announced before explaining the amendment, which he said would break the current stalemate between legislative leaders and the governor, who have been negotiating the terms of the proposed park acquisition for months.

“This buys the new state park. It takes care of the issue. It doesn’t cost us any General Fund money. … Plain and simple, this takes care of the problem, and we’ll have a new state park,” Hackbarth said.

Most of his colleagues did not agree, and the amendment was defeated 35-98.