Senate Amendments to House Bill No. 1298

TO THE CLERK OF THE HOUSE:

  THIS IS TO INFORM YOU THAT THE SENATE HAS ADOPTED THE AMENDMENTS SET OUT BELOW:

AMENDMENT NO. 1

     Amend by striking all after the enacting clause and inserting in lieu thereof the following:

SECTION 1.  (1)  For the purposes of this section, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings ascribed herein unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

          (a)  "Wild turkey" means the game bird Meleagris gallopavo.

          (b)  "Stamp" means the state wild turkey stamp, either in its physical or electronic form, furnished by the commission.  A stamp is a specialized permit required for hunting wild turkeys, with proceeds directly dispersed into the conservation, management, protection or scientific research of wild turkeys.

          (c)  "Harvest tag" means the electronic tool used to serve as an inventory of the annual bag limit allotted to individual wild turkey hunters.  Harvest tags are invalidated upon the harvest of a wild turkey.

          (d)  "Nongovernmental entity" means a nonprofit organization primarily concerned with the protection and conservation of land and natural resources, as evidenced by its organizational documents.

     (2)  It shall be unlawful for any person sixteen (16) years of age or older to hunt or take wild turkeys during any open wild turkey season in the State of Mississippi without first having procured a stamp.  The electronic stamp on file with the commission shall serve as proof of procurement.

     (3)  The fee to nonresident hunters for each stamp shall be Two Hundred Dollars ($200.00).  There shall be no fee for resident hunters.  Each stamp shall be valid through the final day of the spring wild turkey season following its purchase.  After its expiration, another stamp must be procured in order to hunt or take wild turkeys in a future open wild turkey season.

     (4)  The commission may make the procurement of harvest tags dependent upon the purchase of a stamp.

     (5)  The commission shall determine the form of the stamp.  The commission shall furnish physical stamps to bonded agents for issuance or sale in the same manner as other types of licenses or shall cause the electronic stamp to accrue to the purchaser's benefit when purchased from an automated point-of-sale source.

     (6)  Any person violating any of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not less than Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00) nor more than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) as prescribed in Section 49-7-101.

     (7)  All revenue from the proceeds of stamps shall be deposited into the Wild Turkey Stamp Fund created in this section and shall only be used and expended for the following objectives:

          (a)  Paying administrative or processing costs associated with an electronic harvest tag program, or any other program governing or regulating the harvest of wild turkeys;

          (b)  Restoring, enhancing or protecting wild turkey populations or their habitats on public or private lands in Mississippi as prescribed by the department;

          (c)  Funding scientific research, as conducted by qualified professionals, into the ecology or management of wild turkeys, their habitats or their predators; and

          (d)  Increasing access to publicly available turkey hunting opportunities.

     (8)  Proceeds from stamps may be used as matching funds or fiscal leverage to secure grants or other financial awards are deemed to align with the objectives in subsection (7) of this section.

     (9)  The commission may enter into agreements with other state, federal or nongovernmental entities to execute the objectives in subsection (7) of this section.

(10)  There is created in the State Treasury a special fund to be designated as the "Wild Turkey Stamp Fund," which shall consist of funds made available by the Legislature in any manner and funds from any other source designated for deposit into such fund.  The fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer as a separate and special fund, separate and apart from the State General Fund.  Monies in the fund shall be used by the department or the commission, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to execute the objectives in subsections (7) and (8) of this section.  Unexpended amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any investment earnings or interest earned on amounts in the fund shall be deposited to the credit of the fund.

     SECTION 2.  Section 1 of this act shall be codified as a new section in Title 49, Chapter 7, Mississippi Code of 1972.

     SECTION 3.  This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2024, and shall stand repealed on June 30, 2024.

     Further, amend by striking the title in its entirety and inserting in lieu thereof the following:

     AN ACT TO REQUIRE ALL PERSONS 16 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER TO PROCURE A WILD TURKEY STAMP BEFORE HUNTING WILD TURKEYS IN THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI; TO ESTABLISH THE FEE FOR NONRESIDENT HUNTERS AND PROVIDE THAT THERE SHALL BE NO FEE FOR RESIDENT HUNTERS; TO PROVIDE FOR THE FURNISHING OF THE STAMP; TO SET PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS; TO PROVIDE THE PURPOSES FOR WHICH FUNDS RAISED FROM THE SALE OF STAMPS MAY BE EXPENDED; TO CREATE THE WILD TURKEY STAMP FUND AS A SPECIAL FUND IN THE STATE TREASURY FOR USE BY THE DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE, FISHERIES AND PARKS OR THE COMMISSION ON WILDLIFE, FISHERIES AND PARKS, UPON LEGISLATIVE APPROPRIATION, IN FURTHERANCE OF THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS ACT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

SS26\HB1298PS.J

                                                    Amanda White

                                         Secretary of the Senate