Proposed measure 25 seeks to declare hunting and farming human rights
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A proposed amendment to the Oregon Constitution that would protect hunting, fishing, farming, ranching and trapping has advanced to its next legal phase after gathering the required signatures.
The Oregon Secretary of State's office sent Initiative Petition 25 to the state Attorney General to draft the official ballot title and summary for the measure.
Initiative Petition 25 was introduced after a previous proposal, Initiative Petition 28, failed to qualify for the November ballot. While IP 28 sought to remove certain protections for agricultural and wildlife harvesting activities, IP 25 aims to permanently establish them as fundamental rights rooted in food security, rural life and personal liberty.
Kari Goodheart serves as the chief petitioner of the Oregon Freedom Amendment, which is sponsoring the measure. “This is about protecting the people's ability to continue the practices that have helped sustain Oregon communities for generations,” Goodheart said in a statement.
The proposal has gathered bipartisan backing among state lawmakers. State Sen. Christine Drazan, R-Canby, endorsed the initiative during a visit to Central Oregon, pointing out previous legislative opposition to IP 28. “Every single member of the legislature came out in opposition to IP 28. Everybody did,” Drazan said. “What a wonderful, wonderful opportunity for us to come together. Put it on the ballot and allow for for our hunting and fishing and farming and ranching activities to be protected in our Constitution.”
State Rep. Emerson Levy also announced support for the constitutional measure. “Hunting, farming, fishing, ranching are deeply embedded in Oregon's culture and traditions, particularly here in Central Oregon,” Levy said in a statement. “They deserve constitutional protections.”
If passed, Initiative Petition 25 would add Section 44 to Article I of the Oregon Constitution. The text guarantees rights to cultivate crops, raise livestock, harvest natural resources and participate in science-based conservation programs. It establishes these activities as a public right and the state's preferred method for managing fish, wildlife and natural resources.
Under the amendment, state and local governments could only regulate these activities through rules or laws that are reasonable, narrowly tailored and necessary for public safety, public health or wildlife conservation. The measure explicitly prohibits laws or initiative petitions from reclassifying generally accepted agricultural, farming, ranching or hunting practices as animal abuse, neglect or cruelty.
The text also outlines limits regarding legal liability and property rights. It does not authorize trespass on private property, restrict private property rights or grant civil or criminal immunity for intentional, negligent or reckless misconduct. State authority to enforce laws against intentional animal torture outside of regulated activities would remain intact, as would the authority of wildlife agencies to establish bag limits, seasons and conservation rules. The text also contains a severability clause ensuring remaining provisions stay valid if any part is struck down.
The Oregon Attorney General's office will draft the official ballot title and summary for Initiative Petition 25 following the referral from the Secretary of State.
