Illinois Rep. Mccombie’s deer and turkey permit bill passes House and Senate

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Tony M. McCombie aims to update definitions and eligibility for deer and turkey permits, including provisions for landowners and hunters, after winning approval in both chambers, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

In the House, 69 Democrats and 36 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 40 Democrats and 19 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Mccombie introduced the bill in the Illinois House on Feb. 6, 2026 during the 104th session.

The legislation, known as HB5439, was passed on May 21, 2026 during the general assembly session 104.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill’s official text as follows: “Amends the Wildlife Code. Provides that deer, turkey, and combination permits shall be issued to specified Illinois resident landowners and tenants without charge. Provides that the total number of deer, turkey, and combination permits that may be issued by the Department of Natural Resources and the fees for those permits shall be set by rule. Provides that Illinois resident that wish to hunt only on land on which they are resident tenants shall be issued deer permits without charge for Illinois land located in a county where the Department of Natural Resources has positively identified chronic wasting disease cases in the deer herd. Provides that no person shall be issued more than (i) one either-sex deer permit and one antlerless-only deer permit for the deer firearm season and (ii) one either-sex deer permit and one antlerless-only deer permit for the deer archery season under the amendatory Act. Defines terms. Requires permits to be on a hunter’s person at all times while hunting.”

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends the Wildlife Code to define “captive-reared” wildlife and revise rules for landowner and tenant deer and turkey permits. It continues free permits for qualifying Illinois resident landowners and agricultural tenants, adds parallel free permits for those on smaller tracts in counties with chronic wasting disease, and allows nonresident landowners to obtain paid permits by rule. The bill caps each hunter at one either-sex and one antlerless-only deer permit for both firearm and archery seasons, requires hunters to carry permits and proof of eligibility, and authorizes the Department of Natural Resources to set permit numbers, fees and related rules.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Charles Meier (Republican-109th District) and Sen. Patrick J. Joyce (Democrat-40th District).

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

McCombie graduated from Western Illinois University in 1996 with a BA.

McCombie, a Republican, was elected to the Illinois State House in 2023 to represent the state’s 89th House District, replacing previous state representative Andrew Chesney.

Lawmakers listed as “Not Voting” were present for the vote but did not cast a vote. Those marked as having an “Excused Absence” were not present and formally provided a reason for their absence, which was accepted.