SB0498 Engrossed LRB095 09869 CMK 30080 b

1     AN ACT concerning hunting.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Illinois Hunting Heritage Protection Act is
5 amended 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
9 lands shall be open to access and use for recreational hunting
10 except as limited by the Department for reasons of public
11 safety, fish or wildlife management, or homeland security or as
12 otherwise limited by law.
13     (b) The Department shall exercise its authority,
14 consistent with subsection (a), in a manner to support,
15 promote, and enhance recreational hunting opportunities, to
16 the extent authorized by State law. The Department is not
17 required to give preference to hunting over other uses of
18 Department-managed lands or over land or water management
19 priorities established by Department regulations or State law.
20     (c) Department land management decisions and actions may
21 not, to the greatest practical extent, result in any net loss
22 of habitat land acreage available for hunting opportunities on
23 Department-managed lands that exists on the effective date of

 

 

SB0498 Engrossed - 2 - LRB095 09869 CMK 30080 b

1 this Act.
2     (d) By October 1 of each year, the Director shall submit to
3 the 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).
11 (Source: P.A. 93-837, eff. 1-1-05.)
 
12     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
13 becoming law.