Bill Text: IL SB0201 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Amends the Wildlife Code. Provides that it shall be lawful for any person who holds the licenses, permits, and stamps required for the taking of migratory waterfowl to use steel and other non-toxic shotshells as approved by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service when taking waterfowl at any location in the State where the hunting of migratory waterfowl is authorized. Provides that it is unlawful to use any shotgun larger than 10 gauge or smaller than a .410 bore to take species protected by this Act; however, nothing shall prohibit the use of a shotgun, not larger than 10 gauge nor smaller than a 20 gauge, with a rifled barrel. Provides that it shall be unlawful to use lead shotshells to take wildlife on Department of Natural Resources properties on or after January 1, 2022. Makes other changes.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2021-01-13 - Session Sine Die [SB0201 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-SB0201-Introduced.html

---

101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2019 and 2020 SB0201 Introduced 1/30/2019, by Sen. Iris Y. Martinez SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
520 ILCS 5/2.5b new
Amends the Wildlife Code. Provides that nontoxic ammunition, as certified by the Department of Natural Resources, shall be required when taking all wildlife, including game mammals, game birds, non-game birds, and non-game mammals with any firearm. Provides that the Department shall adopt by rule a public process to certify ammunition as nontoxic ammunition and shall define, by rule, nontoxic ammunition to include only ammunition in which there is no lead content, excluding the presence of trace elements of lead. Provides that to the extent that funding is available, the Department shall establish a process that provides hunters with nontoxic ammunition at no or reduced charge. Grants rulemaking authority to the Department. Provides for penalties. Makes other changes.
LRB101 04841 SLF 49850 b
FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY
A BILL FOR
SB0201 LRB101 04841 SLF 49850 b
AN ACT concerning wildlife.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Wildlife Code is amended by adding Section
2.5b as follows:
(520 ILCS 5/2.5b new)
Sec. 2.5b. Nontoxic ammunition.
(a) Except as provided in subsections (e) and (g), and as
soon as can be practicably implemented by the Department of
Natural Resources under subsection (d), nontoxic ammunition,
as certified by the Department, shall be required when taking
all wildlife, including game mammals, game birds, non-game
birds, and non-game mammals with any firearm.
(b) The Department shall adopt by rule a public process to
certify ammunition as nontoxic ammunition and shall define, by
rule, nontoxic ammunition to include only ammunition in which
there is no lead content, excluding the presence of trace
elements of lead. The Department shall establish and annually
update a list of certified ammunition. The list of certified
ammunition shall include, but not be limited to, any federally
approved nontoxic shotgun ammunition.
(c) To the extent that funding is available, the Department
shall establish a process that provides hunters with nontoxic

SB0201 - 2 - LRB101 04841 SLF 49850 b
ammunition at no or reduced charge. The process shall provide
that the offer for nontoxic ammunition at no or reduced charge
may be redeemed through a coupon sent to a permit holder with
the appropriate permit tag. If available funding is not
sufficient to provide nontoxic ammunition at no charge, the
Department shall set the value of the reduced charge coupon at
the maximum value possible through available funding, up to the
average cost within this State for nontoxic ammunition, as
determined by the Department. The nontoxic ammunition coupon
program described in this subsection (c) shall be implemented
to the extent that there is sufficient funding within the
Department.
(d) The Department shall adopt rules phasing in the
requirements of this Section by July 1, 2020. The requirements
of this Section shall be fully implemented statewide by no
later than January 1, 2021. If any of the requirements of this
Section can be implemented practicably, in whole or in part, in
advance of January 1, 2021, the Department of Natural Resources
shall implement those requirements. The Department of Natural
Resources shall not reduce or eliminate any existing
restrictions on the use of lead ammunition until the additional
requirements for use of nontoxic ammunition as required are
implemented.
(e) If nontoxic ammunition is not commercially available
for a specific and lawful hunting purpose due to the operation
of the federal prohibitions relating to armor piercing

SB0201 - 3 - LRB101 04841 SLF 49850 b
ammunition in 18 U.S.C. 44, the requirement for use of nontoxic
ammunition shall be suspended for that specific hunting purpose
until the time as any nontoxic ammunition becomes commercially
available, at which point the suspension of the nontoxic
requirement shall automatically expire. In this paragraph,
"commercially available" means offered for sale in the consumer
marketplace.
(f) A person who violates any provision of this Section is
guilty of a petty offense and shall be fined $500. A second or
subsequent offense is a petty offense punishable by a fine of
not less than $1,000 or more than $5,000.
(g) This Section does not apply to government officials or
their agents when carrying out a statutory duty required by
law.