1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to game and fish; imposing a surcharge on deer licenses for deer 
1.3 	management; providing for venison donations; authorizing rulemaking; 
1.4 	appropriating money;amending Minnesota Statutes 2006, sections 97A.055, 
1.5 	subdivision 4; 97A.065, by adding a subdivision; 97A.475, by adding a 
1.6 	subdivision; 97A.485, subdivision 7; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota 
1.7 	Statutes, chapters 17; 97B.
1.8 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.9 	Section 1. [17.035] VENISON DISTRIBUTION AND REIMBURSEMENT.
1.10 		Subdivision 1.Reimbursement. A meat processor holding a license under chapter 
1.11 	28A may apply to the commissioner of agriculture for reimbursement of $70 towards the 
1.12 	cost of processing a deer donated according to subdivision 1. The meat processor shall 
1.13 	deliver the deer, processed into cuts or ground meat, to a charitable organization that is 
1.14 	registered under chapter 309 and with the commissioner of agriculture and that operates 
1.15 	a food assistance program. To request reimbursement, the processor shall submit an 
1.16 	application, on a form prescribed by the commissioner of agriculture, the tag number 
1.17 	under which the deer was taken, and a receipt for the deer from the charitable organization.
1.18 		Subd. 2.Distribution. (a) The commissioner of agriculture shall ensure the 
1.19 	equitable statewide distribution of processed deer by requiring the charitable organization 
1.20 	to allocate and distribute processed deer according to the allocation formula used in the 
1.21 	distribution of United States Department of Agriculture commodities under the federal 
1.22 	emergency food assistance program. The charitable organization must submit quarterly 
1.23 	reports to the commissioner on forms prescribed by the commissioner. The reports must 
1.24 	include, but are not limited to, information on the amount of processed deer received and 
1.25 	the organizations to which the meat was distributed.
2.1 	(b) The commissioner of agriculture may adopt rules to implement this section.

2.2 	Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 97A.055, subdivision 4, is amended to read:
2.3 		Subd. 4.Game and fish annual reports. (a) By December 15 each year, 
2.4 	the commissioner shall submit to the legislative committees having jurisdiction over 
2.5 	appropriations and the environment and natural resources reports on each of the following:
2.6 	(1) the amount of revenue from the following and purposes for which expenditures 
2.7 	were made:
2.8 	(i) the small game license surcharge under section  97A.475, subdivision 4; 
2.9 	(ii) the Minnesota migratory waterfowl stamp under section  97A.475, subdivision 
2.10 	5, clause (1); 
2.11 	(iii) the trout and salmon stamp under section  97A.475, subdivision 10; 
2.12 	(iv) the pheasant stamp under section  97A.475, subdivision 5, clause (2); and
2.13 	(v) the turkey stamp under section  97A.475, subdivision 5, clause (3); and
2.14 	(vi) the deer license surcharge under section 97A.475, subdivision 3a;
2.15 	(2) the amounts available under section  97A.075, subdivision 1, paragraphs (b) and 
2.16 	(c), and the purposes for which these amounts were spent; 
2.17 	(3) money credited to the game and fish fund under this section and purposes for 
2.18 	which expenditures were made from the fund;
2.19 	(4) outcome goals for the expenditures from the game and fish fund; and
2.20 	(5) summary and comments of citizen oversight committee reviews under 
2.21 	subdivision 4b.
2.22 	(b) The report must include the commissioner's recommendations, if any, for 
2.23 	changes in the laws relating to the stamps and surcharge referenced in paragraph (a).

2.24 	Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 97A.065, is amended by adding a subdivision 
2.25 	to read:
2.26 		Subd. 6.Deer license surcharge.  The surcharge collected under section 97A.475, 
2.27 	subdivision 3a, shall be deposited in a special revenue account and is appropriated to 
2.28 	the commissioner for deer management, including for grants or payments to agencies, 
2.29 	organizations, or individuals for assisting with the cost of processing deer taken for 
2.30 	population management purposes for venison donation programs. None of the additional 
2.31 	license fees shall be transferred to any other agency for administration of programs other 
2.32 	than venison donation. If any money transferred by the commissioner is not used for a 
2.33 	venison donation program, it shall be returned to the commissioner. 

3.1 	Sec. 4. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 97A.475, is amended by adding a subdivision 
3.2 	to read:
3.3 		Subd. 3a.Deer license surcharge. Fees for annual resident and nonresident licenses 
3.4 	to take deer by firearms or archery established under subdivisions 2, clauses (4), (5), (9), 
3.5 	and (11), and 3, clauses (2), (3), and (7), must be increased by a surcharge of $1, except 
3.6 	as provided under section 97A.065, subdivision 6. An additional commission may not 
3.7 	be assessed on the surcharge and the following statement must be included in the annual 
3.8 	deer hunting regulations: "The $1 deer license surcharge is being paid by hunters for deer 
3.9 	management, including assisting with the costs of processing deer donated for charitable 
3.10 	purposes."

3.11 	Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 97A.485, subdivision 7, is amended to read:
3.12 		Subd. 7.Electronic licensing system commission. The commissioner shall retain 
3.13 	for the operation of the electronic licensing system the commission established under 
3.14 	section 84.027, subdivision 15, and issuing fees collected by the commissioner on all 
3.15 	license fees collected, excluding:
3.16 	(1) the small game surcharge; and
3.17 	(2) the deer license surcharge; and
3.18 	(3) $2.50 of the license fee for the licenses in section 97A.475, subdivisions 6, 
3.19 	clauses (1), (2), and (4), 7, 8, 12, and 13.

3.20 	Sec. 6. [97B.303] VENISON DONATIONS.
3.21 	An individual who takes a deer may donate the deer, for distribution to charitable 
3.22 	food assistance programs, to a meat processor that is licensed under chapter 28A. An 
3.23 	individual donating a deer must supply the processor with the tag number under which 
3.24 	the deer was taken.