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House Committee Approves Bill That Would Bypass A Statewide Vote Over Wolf Hunting

PHOTO: Friends of Seney National Wildlife Refuge/Flickr
PHOTO: Friends of Seney National Wildlife Refuge/Flickr

A state House committee has approved a measure that would change how hunting is managed in Michigan, and bypass a referendum on wolf hunting if it’s on the ballot next year.

Two questions dominated the hearing on the bill: whether hunting is an appropriate part of plans to manage wolves in the Upper Peninsula, and whether the Legislature should approve a new law to allow wolf hunts before the referendum.

“This is a subversion of democracy,” says Ellie Mayes, who circulated petitions to put the referendum on the ballot. “The entire point of the bill is to do an end run around a referendum.”

But state representatives from the Upper Peninsula say pets and livestock are endangered in pockets of the U.P., and managing that problem should not be a question that’s voted on by the entire state.  

“It is possible for a minority to be silenced. In this case, the minority is very isolated,” says Representative Ed McBroom.

“This issue is isolated to the Upper Peninsula and the people of the U.P. are at great risk of being totally disenfranchised by the rest of the state of Michigan on an issue that’s critical on the future of our well-being,” he says.

If the bill becomes law, a question over wolf hunting could still be on the November 2014 ballot. But the results of the election would not stop a wolf hunt if a new law is adopted by the Legislature and signed by Governor Rick Snyder.  

Rick Pluta is Senior Capitol Correspondent for the Michigan Public Radio Network. He has been covering Michigan’s Capitol, government, and politics since 1987. His journalism background includes stints with UPI, The Elizabeth (NJ) Daily Journal, The (Pontiac, MI) Oakland Press, and WJR. He is also a lifelong public radio listener.