95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
HB0709


 
Introduced 2/6/2007, by Rep. David Reis
 
SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 		













520 ILCS 30/15










    Amends the Illinois Hunting Heritage Protection Act. Provides that land management decisions of the Department of Natural Resources may not, to the extent practical, result in any net loss of habitat (now, land acreage) available for hunting opportunities. Effective immediately.
















LRB095 09868 CMK 30079 b

















 


 


A BILL FOR









 











HB0709

LRB095 09868 CMK 30079 b






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    AN ACT concerning hunting.

 
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    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
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represented in the General Assembly:


 
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    Section 5. The Illinois Hunting
Heritage Protection Act is 
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amended  by changing Section 15 as follows:
 
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    (520 ILCS 30/15)

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


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


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    (c) Department land management decisions and actions may 
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not, to the
greatest practical extent, result in any net loss 
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of habitat
land acreage available for
hunting opportunities on 
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Department-managed lands that exists on the effective
date of 
 


 






HB0709
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LRB095 09868 CMK 30079 b




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this Act.


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


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


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

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    recreational
hunting to compensate for those acreage 
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    closed under paragraph (1).


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(Source: P.A. 93-837, eff. 1-1-05.)

 
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    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 
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becoming law.