Rep. Mike Lahti (D-Western U.P.) is attempting to quietly move legislation through the Michigan House that would extend the ban on supplemental feeding in the Lower Peninsula for another six years and which also will likely lead to a ban on supplemental feeding in the Upper Peninsula.

Six years ago, the Legislature gave the NRC the authority to ban feeding in response to a future outbreak of CWD. Last year, the NRC imposed a Lower Peninsula-wide ban on supplemental feeding in response to a reported case of CWD at an enclosed deer ranch in Kent County. Michigan Department of Agriculture staff have stated that it now appears that case may have been spontaneous. No new cases of CWD in Michigan have developed.

The NRC's authority to restrict supplemental feeding expires on December 31, 2009. Rep. Lahti introduced legislation earlier this year which would have allowed the DNR to extend the ban in the Lower Peninsula until the end of 2016. Natural Resources Committee Chair Joel Sheltrown refused to give the bill a hearing unless it was redrafted to only allow for a localized ban specifically tied to CWD or another contagious disease.

In response, Rep. Lahti recently introduced HB 5380 and by-passed the public policy committee process by referring the bill to the Natural Resources Appropriations Committee which he chairs. The bill has now be reported to the full House. House Bill 5380 would allow the NRC to ban supplemental feeding in the entire state through the end of 2016, including the Upper Peninsula, without having to provide a link to CWD or any other disease.

Note that the legislation only affects supplemental feeding. It does not impact baiting during the deer seasons. The NRC has the authority to ban baiting under Proposal G.

If you wish to contact your state representative on HB 5380, you may locate him/her through this link: http://house.michigan.gov/find_a_rep.asp