Watch Governor Snyder Live sign new MDNR license legislation

Invitation To Watch Live: Governor Snyder To Sign Legislation Enhancing Michigan’s Natural Resources

Tomorrow (Tuesday, September 17th) at 3:30 PM EST: Watch LIVE as Governor Rick Snyder signs legislation enhancing Michigan’s natural resources. The legislation authorizes important changes to Michigan’s hunting and fishing license structure, simplifying the license options for outdoor enthusiasts – reducing the number of license types by more than 80 percent – and providing vital additional revenue for wildlife and fisheries habitat, conservation and outreach work.

Learn more and watch live tomorrow (September 17th 2013) at 3:30 PM EST by logging on to http://www.michigan.gov/snyderlive.

Questions? Comments? You can reach Governor Snyder’s office by phone at 517-335-7858 or just e-mail governorsoffice@michigan.gov.

Over 50 persons from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC)and major outdoor groups, and Michigan government who helped this bill through the long process of amendments and changes within the Michigan House and Senate to get a final version everyone could agree to will be present at the signing. Michigan B.A.S.S. Nation is one of the groups and Dan Kimmel, their conservation rep, will be attend Tuesday to watch Governor Snyder sign HB 4668 (final version -PDF) into law.

MUCC has compiled a listing of the 39 hunting and fishing license fees (PDF) that will exist once the new license fees go live March 1, 2014.

The MDNR will not see the full additional funding from the new fee structure in fiscal year 2014 since it won’t take effect until March 1, 2014. Much of the new revenue will also come later in 2014 when hunting license sales pick up. The full additional revenue should be in effect for the MDNR’s fiscal year 2015.

One late addition to the new fee structure that you will hear more soon is the addition of a $1.00 surcharge to certain key licenses to generate restricted revenue that cannot be diverted for other uses for marketing, education, and outreach activities about Michigan hunters and anglers. MUCC worked with a number of major outdoor stakeholder groups through their Conservation Coalition to come up with this idea following a highly successful model being used in Colorado – Wildlife Council’s Hug a Hunter and Hug an Angler programs. They have been successful in improving public opinion regarding the important part hunters and anglers play in protecting our natural resources.

Legislation will be introduced soon to create an independent citizen-based council to oversee and manage this new fund. The council will see MDNR Director oversight but include a good mix of outdoors and business persons including someone with general marketing expertise. This is all being defined for the upcoming legislation needed to implement the program using an estimated $1.6 million dollar annual budget once fully implemented.