Office of the Governor

TOPEKA—Governor Sam Brownback signed Senate Substitute for Substitute for House Bill 2051 on Friday, May 9. The bill objects to federal regulation of the Lesser Prairie Chicken and authorizes state enforcement actions, while preserving existing agricultural and other programs pertaining to the species.

The Governor also has taken several additional actions in further opposition to the federal government’s recent listing of the Lesser Prairie Chicken as a threatened species.

“I continue to be very concerned about the validity and effect of this federal action,” said Governor Brownback. “I will take every possible action to protect the rights of Kansans from the economic effects of this listing. The listing of the Lesser Prairie Chicken as threatened needs to be rescinded and reconsidered immediately.”

On May 8, the Governor spoke with and wrote to the U.S. Secretary of Interior reiterating opposition to the listing of the Lesser Prairie Chicken and asking that affected Kansans be given additional time to consider their options under the federal listing. Governor Brownback previously sent a letter to the Director of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on Jan. 30 advising the state would pursue all legal remedies if the birds were listed as ‘threatened.’ When the species was listed, Governor Brownback asked Attorney General Derek Schmidt to pursue available legal remedies and on April 1, the State of Kansas joined an existing Oklahoma lawsuit related to the Lesser Prairie Chicken.