News

Bill Stalls in Committee

Published February 17, 2004, 2:50 PM. Detroit Free Press, Associated Press.
Bill that would allow mourning dove hunting stalls in Senate committee

LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- A bill that would allow hunters to shoot mourning doves in Michigan stalled in a state Senate committee on Tuesday, raising questions about whether the bill can win approval from the Senate.

The bill, already approved by the House, was transferred to the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, after first being assigned to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

On Tuesday, lawmakers tried to send it to yet another committee, but didn't have the votes to approve a new version of the bill, keeping it in the Judiciary Committee.

The Senate failed to approve a similar bill sent over by the House in 2000.

Bill Nowling, a spokesman for Republican Senate Majority Leader Ken Sikkema of Wyoming, said the dove hunting bill will stay in the Judiciary Committee. "It's going to stay here until it gets the votes to come out," Nowling said.

State Rep. Susan Tabor, a Republican from Eaton County's Delta Township who sponsored the dove hunting bill, said the bill isn't dead. "Our sportsmen want a vote. ... I'm not giving up," Tabor said.

There has been strong opposition to the bill that would eliminate Michigan's nearly century-old ban on the hunting of mourning doves, which look like slender, streamlined pigeons.

But supporters of the bill say it's time for Michigan to join dozens of other states that already allow mourning doves to be hunted.

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