Senate passes bill reserving nonresident deer 'celebrity' tags for conservation groups

Senator Shipley, the senator from Adams, said the Iowa Senate on March 17, 2026, passed Senate File 424, a bill reallocating certain nonresident deer hunting licenses to support conservation groups.

"This bill amends the allocation of nonresident deer hunting licenses by reserving 40 licenses for Iowa Conservation Organization and designating 10 as governor's tags," Senator Shipley said during opening remarks. He added that the governor may accept or decline the governor's tags and that any governor-allocated tag not accepted by Sept. 1 would be provided to an Iowa conservation organization, which typically auctions the tags to raise funds for their work.

Shipley moved that the bill be read for the final time and placed on its passage; with no further discussion the motion prevailed and the secretary read the bill. The Senate proceeded to a roll-call vote. The presiding officer announced that 43 senators voted in favor; the bill was declared to have passed the Senate with a constitutional majority. The record shows several senators were excused during the vote.

After passage, senators ordered the bill messaged to the governor by unanimous consent. The Senate then proceeded to other agenda items and adjourned for the day.

The passage is procedural final action in the Senate; the bill will be sent to the governor for consideration.