99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016
SB3264
 
Introduced 2/19/2016, by Sen. Wm. Sam McCann
 
SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 

 
520 ILCS 30/15

     Amends the Illinois Hunting Heritage Protection Act. Provides that by October 1 of each year, the Director of Natural Resources shall submit to the General Assembly a written report describing the Department of Natural Resource's plan to maximize the opportunities for recreational hunting on Department-managed lands.
  


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A BILL FOR
 

  
SB3264LRB099 19965 SMS 44364 b


  
1    AN ACT concerning wildlife.
  
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
3represented in the General Assembly:
  
 
 
4    Section 5. The Illinois Hunting
Heritage Protection Act is 
5amended  by changing Section 15 as follows:
 
6    (520 ILCS 30/15)

7    Sec. 15. Recreational hunting.
8    (a) Subject to valid existing rights, Department-managed 
9lands shall be open
to
access and use for recreational hunting 
10except as limited by the Department for
reasons of public 
11safety, fish or wildlife management, or homeland security or
as 
12otherwise limited by law.


13    (b) The Department shall exercise its authority, 
14consistent with subsection
(a), in a manner to support, 
15promote, and enhance recreational hunting
opportunities, to 
16the extent authorized by State law.
The Department is not 
17required to give preference to hunting over other uses
of 
18Department-managed lands or over land or water management 
19priorities
established by Department regulations or State law.


20    (c) Department land management decisions and actions may 
21not, to the
greatest practical extent, result in any net loss 
22of habitat available for
hunting opportunities on 
23Department-managed lands that exists on the effective
date of 
 
 
SB3264- 2 -LRB099 19965 SMS 44364 b

1this Act.


2    (d) By October 1 of each year, the Director shall submit to 
3the General
Assembly
a written report describing:


4        (1) the acreage administered by the Department that has 
5    been closed during
the
previous year to recreational 
6    hunting and the reasons for the closures; and


7        (2) the acreage administered by the Department that, in 
8    order to comply
with subsection (c), was opened to

9    recreational
hunting to compensate for those acreage 
10    closed under paragraph (1); and .


11        (3) the Department's plan to maximize the 
12    opportunities for recreational hunting on 
13    Department-managed lands. 
14(Source: P.A. 95-118, eff. 8-13-07.)