HB 1637 Mississippi House · 2025 Regular Session

Hunting and fishing on another's land; revise provisions relating to payment of restitution.

HB 1637 revises restitution requirements for individuals convicted of illegally hunting or fishing on private property in Mississippi. It increases payments to landowners: $100 per illegally taken fish from private waters (previously unspecified) and a $100-$500 assessment per wild animal or bird taken, capped at $2,000 total per conviction. The restitution funds collected are deposited into the state’s Fisheries and Wildlife Fund for conservation purposes. This bill directly affects landowners whose property was trespassed upon and individuals convicted of wildlife violations.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2025
House Passage
Mar 2025
Senate Passage
Mar 2025
Signed into Law
Mar 2025
Introduced Feb 17, 2025 Signed Mar 18, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

As Passed the lower Current version · 3 edits
MINOR
This bill revision clarifies restitution requirements for wildlife violations by separating fish-specific penalties from general wildlife penalties. The change ensures fish taken from private waterbodies are treated distinctly while maintaining the same restitution amounts.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains focused on restitution for wildlife violations, but the language now explicitly separates fish violations from other wildlife violations for clarity.
REQUIREMENT

Restitution language for fish violations was restructured to separate fish-specific restitution requirements from general wildlife restitution, making the distinction between fish and other wildlife violations clearer.

The maximum aggregate restitution cap of $1,500 now applies to all animals unlawfully taken or possessed, rather than being specifically tied to fish violations.

TECHNICAL

Minor formatting and punctuation adjustments were made throughout the restitution section to improve readability and consistency.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 6, 2025 · House Feb 13, 2025

How they voted

464
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 51
Mar 6, 2025
D Democratic16
16 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican35
30 Yea 4 Nay 1
85% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
18
Key actions
8
Committee
4
Amendments
2
Mar 18, 2025
Signed into law
Approved by Governor
executive
Mar 11, 2025
Lower · Passed
Concurred in Amend From Senate
lower
Mar 6, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed As Amended
upper
Mar 6, 2025
Upper · Passed
Amended
upper
Feb 27, 2025
Upper · Passed
Title Suff Do Pass As Amended
upper
Feb 17, 2025
Committee
Referred To Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks;Judiciary, Division B
upper
Feb 17, 2025
Introduced
Transmitted To Senate
lower
Feb 13, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed As Amended
lower
Feb 13, 2025
Lower · Passed
Amended
lower
Jan 30, 2025
Lower · Passed
Title Suff Do Pass As Amended
lower
Jan 20, 2025
Committee
Referred To Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks;Judiciary B
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Bill Kinkade
Bill Kinkade
RRepublican
MS
52