2025 House Resolution 202

Whereas, The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has established a program called Hunters Feeding Michigan which allows deer hunters to donate venison to participating processors to be distributed to Michigan food banks. One donated deer can provide approximately 160 meals for hungry Michiganders. Currently, Hunters Feeding Michigan is completely funded by private donations; and

Whereas, It has been announced that on Saturday, November 1, 2025, the United States Department of Agriculture will be pausing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a federal program that helps ensure that our most vulnerable citizens stay fed and healthy; and

Whereas, The United States Department of Agriculture has deemed that it is legally unable to utilize the emergency contingency funds that have already been appropriated to the department for SNAP. This is a complete deviation from how prior administrations have viewed the availability of contingency funding for SNAP during a government shutdown; and

Whereas, Stopping SNAP benefits will have drastic impacts in Michigan and across the entire country. Approximately 1.4 million Michiganders receive SNAP benefits, which includes 492,225 children and 38,513 veterans; and

Whereas, Opening firearm hunting season two weeks early will allow processors participating in Hunters Feeding Michigan to have more time to process venison products. Such products can be frozen and stored for later use while the country navigates these unprecedented times; and

Whereas, While extending the open firearm season is not the only measure that Michigan can take to make up for the lack of federal funding for SNAP, it is one action that can help our citizens; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we call on the Michigan Natural Resources Commission to temporarily extend the 2025 open firearm hunting season and set the dates to be November 1, 2025, to November 30, 2025; and be it further

Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the members of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission.