Tennessee's Right to Hunt and Fish Constitutional Amendment resolution passed a major hurdle Wednesday.
House Joint Resolution 108, put forth with the support of the Tennessee Wildlife Foundation (TWF), passed House Conservation and Environment Committee unanimously today. TWF Executive Director Mike Butler gave much credit to the Camo Coalition, sportsmen across the state who voiced their support for the measure.
The National Rifle Association had proposed significantly different language for the bill. The NRA's proposal caused the resolution to stall out in last year's legislative session. Read more HERE.
Butler says that today's debate on HJR108 lasted nearly a hour and a half, but in the end the resolution passed by unanimous voice vote and had no hostile amendments attached to it.
As written, HJR108 will create a personal right to hunt and fish in Tennessee.
Next stop for HJR108 is the House Finance, Ways and Means Committee.
Of course all constitutional amemndments must ultimately pass both the full House and Senate with a two-thirds majority vote in two consecutive legislative sessions... and then be put on a public ballot before it can actually be incorporated into Tennessee's Constitution.
In other legislative action, Butler says HB145/SB135 No-net-loss of Public Hunting and Fishing Lands Bill has become law.
Representative Mike McDonald and Senator Doug Jackson, working with TWF, were successful in gaining unanimous passage of the No-net-loss of public hunting and fishing lands bill in late April. This bill prevents the TWRA or TWRC from closing any piece of public hunting or fishing land unless a parcel of land of equal size, and in the same grand division, can be opened to hunting within 12 months of the scheduled closure.
TWRA Commission Reform Bill Signed by Governor
On March 28th, Governor Bredesen signed into law the TWF supported wildlife resources commission reform bill. As law, the legislation makes all wildlife commissioner terms equal at a term of 6-years. It also installs term limits on commissioners by stating that no commissioners can be appointed to a second term in office. This means that members of the commission must leave the commission after their six year term, but can return only if they are off the commission for a full term.