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Bill Summary · SB 238

SB 238 — Natural resources: pheasant hunting license; extend sunset (MCL 324.43525c)

Status: Introduced April 22, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture
Sponsor: Sen. Kevin Daley

Purpose / intent

To continue the state’s separate annual pheasant hunting license requirement and dedicated funding for pheasant stocking by extending the statutory expiration (sunset) of the pheasant license provisions and the associated pheasant subaccount from January 1, 2026 to January 1, 2031.

Key provisions

  • Maintains the existing requirement that an individual 18 years or older must have a current annual pheasant hunting license (in addition to a base hunting license) to hunt pheasants in the Lower Peninsula. Fee remains $25.
  • Lists the same exemptions (no pheasant license required) for:
    • Persons hunting only at licensed game bird hunting preserves (part 417),
    • Persons hunting pheasants on private land (except land enrolled in the Hunting Access Program),
    • Persons hunting pheasants on public land in the Upper Peninsula,
    • Holders of certain lifetime licenses (lifetime small game, lifetime sportsperson’s, comprehensive lifetime hunting & fishing).
  • Administrative details preserved:
    • If issued as a stamp, the pheasant license stamp must be affixed to and signed across the face of the base license.
    • Collectors may purchase a stamp without affixing or signing it, but such a stamp is not valid for hunting.
  • Continues the existing fiscal routing:
    • Fees are deposited into a newly created “pheasant subaccount” within the Game and Fish Protection Account.
    • The subaccount may receive receipts and investment earnings and does not lapse at fiscal year end.
    • The Department (for auditing) may expend money from the subaccount, upon appropriation, only for costs associated with purchase and release of live pheasants on state-owned land suitable for pheasants.
  • Changes to timeline:
    • Amends prior law so that money in the pheasant subaccount and the statutory provisions themselves are not transferred/repealed on January 1, 2026 but instead on January 1, 2031 (i.e., five-year extension).

Who is affected

  • Hunters: Adults hunting pheasants in applicable areas will still need the $25 pheasant stamp/license unless exempt.
  • Wildlife and fisheries agencies (Department of Natural Resources): Continue to administer the license, collect fees, and use appropriated funds for pheasant stocking on state lands.
  • Landowners and programs: No change to private-land exemptions; land enrolled in Hunting Access Program remains treated as requiring the pheasant license.
  • Collectors: Retain ability to buy an un-affixed pheasant stamp (not valid for hunting).

Procedural / timeline notes

  • Introduced April 22, 2025 and referred to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture. If enacted, the statutory repeal/transfer previously scheduled for Jan 1, 2026 would be postponed to Jan 1, 2031.
  • The bill does not change the $25 fee or the uses authorized for the pheasant subaccount; it simply extends the program and funding mechanism for five additional years.

Potential impact

  • Maintains a dedicated revenue stream for pheasant stocking and releases on state lands through FY 2030.
  • Preserves hunter licensing requirements and associated administrative procedures.
  • No new fees or expanded spending authority are created by this bill; primary effect is continuity of existing program and funding for an additional five years.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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