By H&R Springfield Bureau staff

SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois House sent a message to the governor on Wednesday to continue a program that allows sportsmen to hunt pheasants in Illinois.

The state's pheasant hunting program raises the birds and releases them on public hunting grounds, where hunters may purchase a permit. The governor's budget plan would strike funding for the program

State Rep. Dan Reitz, D-Steeleville, sponsored the resolution urging Gov. Rod Blagojevich to maintain the program.

"I think it's a program that's been around forever, and I think there are a lot of people who participate, and it's our obligation to have programs like this," Reitz said.

Reitz said the program is a good investment for Illinois, since many of the hunters who buy pheasant permits are from out of state.

"The state would lose money if we do away with this program," Reitz said.

Chris McCloud, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, which oversees the program, said the department feels the program is important.

"We support keeping it as long as it can be run in an efficient manner," McCloud said. "We understand that the state has to make tough choices all around."

Reitz introduced a measure currently working its way through the House that would incrementally raise the permit fee from $15 to $50 for residents and $60 for people from out of state.

A spokeswoman from the governor's budget office said officials are looking at options that will allow the program to continue in a more efficient and feasible manner.

The measure is House Joint Resolution 117.

Energy drink labels

Energy drink labels must emphasize the beverage's alcoholic content under legislation approved by a House committee on Wednesday.

Without opposition, the legislation was sent to the House floor for further debate.

When the bill was reviewed in a Senate committee in March, manufacturers said their labels already met the legal standard for displaying the beverage's alcoholic content.

The measure was not opposed Wednesday.

State Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, said the legislation is aimed at assuring that the drinks aren't sold to minors.

"It's very important because there is a crossover between energy drinks and beverages with alcohol in them that contain energy drink ingredients," Harris said. "It continues to ensure that products with alcohol are not target marketed toward children."

The legislation is Senate Bill 2472.