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Oregon Ballot Initiative Aims to Criminalize Hunting and Fishing as Activists Near Signature Goal News By Diane Megaw On Feb 22, 2026 The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Department Building in Salem. | Credit: Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives A radical Oregon animal rights initiative, the PEACE Act, said Wednesday that the group has gathered about 105,000 signatures towards a planned ballot measure to criminalize most activities that injure or kill animals, including hunting and fishing, that could leave a hole in Oregon’s budget. Animal Rights Group Wants Ballot To Criminalize Hunting, Fishing, Pest Control The animal rights group, the PEACE Act (People for the Elimination of Animal Cruelty Exemptions), needs 117,173 verified signatures by July 2 to make it onto a ballot under Initiative Petition 28 that would criminalize injuring or killing animals. Tidings Data Snapshot Signature progress for Initiative Petition 28 117,173 Verified signatures required 98,125 Signatures submitted to Elections Division 19,048 More signatures needed 83.7% Share of requirement met Jan 27 2026 Most recent signature submission Source: Oregon Secretary of State Elections Division / 2026 Initiative Petitions Monthly Submission Log dated Feb 13 2026 (IRR 2026 028) Dailytidings.com The group has gathered about 105,000 signatures since July 2024, which still need to be verified. According to the group, killing animals is a choice. While the initiative prioritizes plants instead of killing animals, it also argues that there is no reason to maintain the status quo. The initiative does not seek to protect insects but wants to see the same protections that currently apply to dogs and cats extended to include animals like salmon, deer, cattle, and laboratory animals. If the ballot passes, hunting, fishing, slaughtering livestock, animal research, and pest control would be effectively banned. It would remove many exemptions from current Oregon animal cruelty laws to protect more animals from abuse, neglect, and killing, but exemptions would remain in place for self-defense and veterinary practices. The group has tried to criminalize hunting and fishing before. This time, there is significant opposition to the initiative. Hunters and restaurant owners are concerned about the amount of attention the petition has garnered. Initiative leaders included the creation of a transition fund that could be used for income replacement, job retraining, and food assistance to address the potential impact on various Oregon industries. For example, fishing license fees and taxes go toward conservation efforts. Animal Rights Activists’ Ballot Petition Could Affect Oregon Budget While the PEACE Act initiative argues that hunting and fishing revenue make up a small percentage of ODFW’s revenue, the budget reflects a different position. If Initiative Petition 28 passes, Oregon will need to find other ways to balance an already strained budget. According to ODFW , roughly a third of its budget comes from hunting and fishing licenses and another third from related federal funds. Here is what ODFW lists as its major revenue buckets in the current biennium budget: Revenue source Adopted budget amount What it includes Hunter / Angler $153,537,546 Hunting and fishing license related revenue Federal Funds $209,492,023 Federal grants and apportionments to state fish and wildlife agencies General Fund $80,203,228 State general tax support Lottery Funds $9,622,346 Lottery supported allocations Other Funds $277,833,418 Commercial fisheries fund / non federal grants / interest and other categories A ban would also blow a hole in wildlife management funding, unless lawmakers find a way to replace that money. In addition, the Fish and Wildlife Services (FWS ), which provides over $1.2 billion to support fish and wildlife conservation and outdoor access, confirmed that funds are generated by manufacturers who paid federal excise taxes on ammunition, firearms, archery, and angling equipment. Share Twitter Facebook ReddIt WhatsApp Pinterest Email