State Rep. Nick Santucci is sponsoring a bill seeking to put a proposal on the November 2024 ballot to enshrine the right to hunt and fish into the Ohio Constitution.

An identical proposal introduced in 2021 by three state senators — including Sandra O’Brien, R-Lenox, who represents all of Trumbull County — was given a committee assignment, but the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee never held a single hearing. It died Dec. 31, 2022, when the legislative session ended.

The language in both proposals is virtually the same as a model amendment provided for years by the National Rifle Association on its website. Santucci, R-Howland, said Tuesday that “the NRA did not have any influence over this joint resolution.”

Santucci said he and state Rep. Ron Ferguson, R-Wintersville, the bill’s two main sponsors, “worked with interested parties on crafting the language to fit Ohio’s needs.” One party, Santucci said, was the International Order of T. Roosevelt, a hunter and angler advocacy group, based in Naples, Florida.

Santucci said: “Hunting and fishing add $1.3 billion to Ohio’s economy every year, supporting not only the 15,500 jobs but funding critical conservation efforts. The outdoors brings people together. Enshrining the rights of sportsmen and women in our constitution will preserve these great traditions for future generations in Ohio. From an economic standpoint, hunting and fishing make an impact, particularly in Trumbull and Ashtabula counties.”

As for the proposal’s failure to get a hearing last time, Santucci said, “It’s very common for policymakers to introduce legislation over multiple general assemblies. With a new group of legislators, reviewing this joint resolution it has a likelihood for new support and for those members that have been a part of the General Assembly that are familiar with this topic, our hope is that they will be willing to continue their support and move it across the finish line.”

The legislation would require approval in both the state House and Senate with at least 60 percent support in order to put the issue in front of voters on the Nov. 5, 2024, ballot.

The proposal states: “The right to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife is a valued part of Ohio’s heritage and shall be forever preserved for the public good. The people have a right, which includes the right to use traditional methods, to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife that are traditionally pursued. This right is subject only to the laws prescribed by the General Assembly and rules prescribed by virtue of the authority of the General Assembly to do either of the following: promote wildlife conservation and management; preserve the future of hunting and fishing.”

It concludes: “Hunting and fishing shall be a preferred means of managing and controlling wildlife in this state. This section shall not be construed to limit the application of any provision of law or of the constitution relating to trespass or property rights.”

There are 23 other states in the country with a constitutionally protected right to fish and hunt.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund strongly opposed the proposal in the last legislative session stating “traditional methods” is “vague and unreasonably broad, but it’s designed to include deeply inhumane practices” including steel-jaw leghold traps and hunting wildlife using packs of dogs.

It would also restrict local governments and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to enact their own wildlife protection measures, the ALDF said.

The NRA supports such proposals throughout the county”to protect against future threats to the rights to hunt and fish that do not exist today.”

Ferguson said: “This joint resolution is about more than just preserving traditions; it’s about safeguarding our state’s rich environment, supporting rural economies and protecting individual rights. We must stand together to ensure these rights are not eroded by misguided policies or special interest groups.”

dskolnick@vindy.com