Wild Turkey Stamp Fund; create and provide that revenue collected from wild turkey stamp sales be deposited into for certain objectives., the official text

MISSISSIPPI
LEGISLATURE

2026 Regular Session

To: Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks

By: Senator(s) Suber, Butler

Senate Bill 2657

(As Sent to Governor)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 49-7-181, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972,
TO CREATE THE WILD TURKEY STAMP FUND AS A SPECIAL FUND WITHIN THE STATE
TREASURY; TO PROVIDE THAT ALL REVENUE COLLECTED FROM THE PROCEEDS OF WILD
TURKEY STAMPS SHALL BE DEPOSITED INTO SUCH FUND AND SHALL BE DESIGNATED FOR USE
BY THE DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE, FISHERIES AND PARKS ONLY FOR CERTAIN OBJECTIVES;
AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE
LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1.  Section
49-7-181, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

49-7-181.  (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)  (a)  It shall be
unlawful for any person not exempt under paragraph (b) of this subsection to
hunt or take wild turkeys during any open wild turkey season in this state
without first having procured a stamp.  The electronic stamp on file with the
commission shall serve as proof of procurement.

(b)  Any resident
citizen of this state who has not reached the age of sixteen (16) years or who
has reached the age of sixty-five (65) years, or any resident citizen who is
blind, paraplegic or a multiple amputee, or who has been adjudged by the
Veterans Administration as having a total service-connected disability, or has
been adjudged to be totally disabled by the Social Security Administration
shall be exempt from the requirements of this section.  Further, the holder of
any lifetime sportsman license authorized under Section 49-7-153 shall be
exempt from the requirements of this section.

(3)  The fee to resident
hunters for each stamp shall be Ten Dollars ($10.00).  The fee to nonresident
hunters for each stamp shall be One Hundred Dollars ($100.00).  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)  Except for persons exempted
under subsection (2)(b) of this section, 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)  There is created in
the State Treasury a special fund to be designated as the "Wild Turkey
Stamp Fund."  All revenue collected from the proceeds of stamps
shall be deposited into the * * * Fisheries and Wildlife fund created in * * * Section 49‑5‑21 this subsection
(7) and shall be * * *
used and expended designated for use by the department only
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 which are deemed to align with the objectives in subsection
(7) of this section.  No such proceeds shall be expended for administrative
salaries.

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

SECTION 2.  This act
shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.