State Senator Patrick Joyce’s proposal to help farmers protect their crop yields was signed into law on Friday.

Senate Bill 710 addresses multiple issues with the nuisance deer program and deer hunting tags. Currently for nuisance deer, a property owner has to prove each year that there has been damage to property, like destruction of crops, by the deer. Farmers have been requesting a better way to handle this because under the current program, they cannot manage the deer population until after a problem has occurred.

The bill would allow the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to issue deer removal permits based on the percentage of permits redeemed in the previous season by the recipient. The bill would also allow for an expansion of youth hunting tags from one to two. Senate Bill 710 goes into effect Jan. 1, 2026. Joyce represents a small portion of Grundy, Will and other counties.