Mississippi’s 2020 legislative session, scheduled for 125 days, was suspended March 18 amid concerns over the spread of Covid-19 coronavirus, and its original plan to reconvene on April 1 was delayed when the governor issued a statewide shelter-in-place order.
In mid-April, there was no date set for reconvening, only a plan to do so as soon as it is deemed safe. The interruption came with 12 bills involving hunting and fishing still in play. Among them are these six that carry major impact for Mississippi sportsmen:
- Both the House (HB 450) and Senate (SB 2722) passed bills that would require that all deer harvested within high fences be tested for chronic wasting disease (CWD).
- SB 2723 would extend any state hunting season scheduled to close by statute on a Friday through sunset on the next Sunday.
- SB 2717 would allow operation of electrical bicycles on state Wildlife Management Areas.
- HB 1309 would allow the use of air bows during certain open hunting seasons for hunters exempt from hunting license requirement by reason of disability.
- HB 1577 would allow schools to offer hunter safety education as part of the curriculum.
Deadlines for action on these and other bills will be reset at the time the legislature reconvenes.
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