By Illinois Radio Network
SPRINGFIELD – Digital hunting licenses could be the wave of the future in Illinois if a bill proposed by State Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Raymond, passes the General Assembly.
House Bill 3093 proposes that hunters be allowed to carry an electronic version of their
hunting license instead of the paper license, Bourne said. Bourne also says her bill will make it easier for enforcement and hunters because they will be able to access a photo of their license off their cell phone with just the touch of a button.
“This is an initiative of the Department of Natural Resources,” Bourne said. “They saw a need to not only make it easier for hunters to carry their hunting licenses but also as an opportunity to bring the system into the 21st century.”
Hunters won’t need cell reception, especially in rural areas, to access the hunting license, Bourne said.
“You won’t have to have internet; you won’t have to have cell service; you can still pull up the pictures on your phone,” Bourne said.
Bourne says modernizing the paper licensing process is an important move.
“This is a common sense fix, and we need more common sense fixes like this in state government, so I’m happy to be a part of it,” Bourne said.
The bill has already passed the House floor and has been referred to the Assignments Committee.
If the bill passes completely, the Department of Natural Resources might be able to develop an app for hunters that could ultimately lead to cost savings for the department, Bourne said.
“In the future, if there is an app created, I certainly think, minus the development cost of the app, there would be cost savings for the department,” Bourne said.
