Scherer-Backed Bill Would Create Multi-Year Hunting and Fishing Licenses

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Building on recent efforts to encourage hunting and fishing in Illinois, state Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur, supported legislation that will cut costs and red tape for outdoorsmen across the state.

“Annual renewals for hunting and fishing licenses are an unnecessary bureaucratic hoop that our state’s sportsmen have to jump through year after year,” said Scherer. “Multi-year licensure has been implemented successfully for activities from driving to teaching in our schools. I don’t see any good reason to not apply this standard to our hunters and fishermen.”

Scherer recently lent her voice to support House Bill 3677, which will introduce a new hunting and fishing license tier for residents. Currently, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) broadly only offers annual and lifetime licenses for resident applicants. Under the bill, five-year licenses would be offered at a rate equivalent to purchasing five annual licenses. IDNR will continue to offer discounts for seniors and veterans.

“The average resident who wants to hunt or fish already knows that they plan on hunting and or fishing animals next year,” said Scherer. “This bill will streamline our process to get our sportsmen more time outdoors and less time behind a screen dealing with unnecessary licensing requirements.”