[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6341611,"mediaKeyId","2256736-950900048589fa359ac338c8fdd602db","parentId",2256736,"title","Committee approves electronic deer-harvest reporting rule but falls short of two-thirds to introduce committee bill","audioSeconds",1773,"startMs",874000,"endMs",2647000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2256736-950900048589fa359ac338c8fdd602db&start=874&end=2647","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2256736-950900048589fa359ac338c8fdd602db/thumbnail_874000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6341611/South-Carolina/Committee-approves-electronic-deer-harvest-reporting-rule-but-falls-short-of-two-thirds-to-introduce-committee-bill","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6341611-9106f3f8c65a8047244853899a69db53/orig.mp4?Expires=1774996683&Signature=oVtX5FnNBtupd3yZaxvy1lf41C4X6FgzKPoTeKItoXgZCDe0zpqphyxMBpoQoTeRKTvqz4gCVvqiqTzAHLiby8nqUnwbB96mWRBouvv97-z3pMiHTW-hJ-6grtsEn2oyXgNd3Mwn3DTjwLmol5BrBIhdFb1X5NdDmAT-GYppzRK81FPpau8ggnK9ZFVqJ-RVdNxuMcD~Br6rOrJ37QvIPdI~l0TeUkTJVS9ZgBnILd-4zV64h~o7rtXI57TcEiLZ-Pp55tD5g~aieoi~QvX4nlBg66wV8JUNcMbnav4-LVlrYoDOZmFwMIkzRF3~ZhyFvVYmezotNujtw7~AcAIUDw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","House Regulations and Administrative Procedures Committee","date","2025-02-05T00:00:00Z","article","The House Regulations and Administrative Procedures subcommittee approved a regulation to implement electronic deer-harvest reporting required by Act 65 of 2023, but the committee's 6-3 approval did not meet the two-thirds threshold necessary to introduce a committee joint resolution, leaving the regulation without the expedited committee bill route.

Charles Ruth, wildlife biologist and supervisor of DNR's big-game program, and Emily Cope, deputy director for wildlife and freshwater fisheries at DNR, told the subcommittee the reporting system expands the department's existing electronic reporting (used previously for turkey and bear) to deer. Ruth said hunters reported about 175,000 deer during the most recent season after the rule was filed on an emergency basis to make the system available for the 2024 season. Ruth described the reporting data as a management tool that feeds a population reconstruction model; he said DNR's current estimate for the statewide deer population is about 700,000.

\"This is a management tool that we've been been asking for for a number of years,\" Ruth said. \"If you know how many deer are being killed at the county level, at the statewide level, again we can plug it in this population model.\" Cope said the regulation implements methods of telephonic and electronic reporting, content of the report and record-keeping, consistent with the statute's directive.

Representative David Martin, who represents Fort Mill, said he opposed the regulation on the grounds that it imposes government overreach and could burden older or non-technical hunters. \"I don't think the government should be telling people whether they can or cannot hunt on their property and then once they do hunt on their property, what they're required to do to be able to track the animals that they shoot,\" Martin said. He and several other members asked whether certain fields in the reporting form are mandatory. Ruth and other DNR staff identified the mandatory fields as date (auto-filled), county of kill, sex of the deer, time of day (AM/PM) and antler point count on males; other items such as weight are optional.

Concerns raised during the discussion included privacy and enforcement questions (members asked whether game wardens can inspect private freezers and about probable cause), the administrative burden on older hunters, and whether suburban nuisance situations (for example in York County and Tega Cay) require different responses. Cope told the committee that if the regulation does not receive the committee bill route, DNR may need to rely on emergency regulations to remain in compliance with the law while the department works with legislators to address concerns.

On the recorded roll call for the committee decision, votes were: Mr. Alexander (yes), Mr. Guffey (no), Mr. Hart (yes), Mr. Long (yes), Mr. Martin (no), Mr. Neese (no), Mr. Taylor (yes), Mr. Teeple (yes), and Chairman Bradley (yes). The subcommittee announced the tally as 6-3 in favor of the regulation; staff noted that a two-thirds committee vote is required to introduce a committee joint resolution, which this vote did not reach.

Subcommittee members asked DNR staff to meet with several members who voted no and see whether adjusted regulatory language or clarifications (including clearer marking of optional fields on the app/website and potential exemptions to address localized nuisance or agricultural issues) could win additional support before a full committee or future meeting. DNR staff agreed to follow up with those members and to consider emergency-rule options if required to implement the statute in a timely way.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Regulations, Admin. Proc., AI and Cybersecurity Committee -- Regulations, Admin. Procedures, Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity 02/05/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The subcommittee approved regulations implementing Act 65 (2023) requiring electronic harvest reporting for deer, but a 6-3 vote failed to reach the two-thirds threshold needed to introduce a committee joint resolution; DNR said hunters reported roughly 175,000 deer using the system and estimates statewide population at about 700,000.","taxTitle","Regulations and Administrative Procedures, Standing, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, South Carolina","taxId",17535,"location","South Carolina","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6341615,"Subcommittee asks DNR to withdraw, resubmit donated-deer processing rule amid authority concerns",256,548000,804000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2256736-950900048589fa359ac338c8fdd602db&start=548&end=804","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2256736-950900048589fa359ac338c8fdd602db/thumbnail_548000.jpg","/articles/6341615/South-Carolina/Subcommittee-asks-DNR-to-withdraw-resubmit-donated-deer-processing-rule-amid-authority-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6341615-0c4f10c6925242f201d061e910a7fa6b/orig.mp4?Expires=1774996683&Signature=H92KyXyeQtVNA4BnnXOI-MQ9b2-0y~QhRrlVljfgwX8vwjnmLttDB~NEqbj4FspdLaz6a-bf96XyjjZ8NDB2cC~RBHePcwBb0ZiDqBuIJf2iJxAVOrI57RbgIl1TEdHTOse-qMy9q0xf4NA5mNxWoOojHH8UA2vE84fwHgH2aO6It8ak32cWmoABO-MrXPlh4ad23btXH35avLFgQcT1dRiBvbJJPb2UNS2JkmVz7DzJ0s7l3Kva8qZd-iGH46f8v9c~OZo0Sov967BVixB1kv0bVBil4bENmEHCIqJ0hGRl-pCRF0d50bPL2lTmRKyfjj6nRoOWJiY6fT~kOYVhrw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Regulations and Administrative Procedures subcommittee asked the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to withdraw and resubmit a proposed regulation governing processing of donated deer after agency counsel told DNR staff the current law does not provide authority to permit processors to liquidate unclaimed meat.

Charles Ruth, a wildlife biologist who supervises the DNR big-game program, told the subcommittee the underlying statute prohibits sale of deer meat but a 2024 law allows DNR to issue permits to processors to legally process deer taken for donation and to recover a processing fee from the donor or a third party. \"We talked with our general counsel and she felt like the way the law is right now it doesn't give authority to go in that direction,\" Ruth said, describing the specific gap as the ability to set a timeline after which a processor could consider meat abandoned and recover processing costs.

Representative Pat Taylor asked the agency to withdraw the regulation so DNR can propose language that addresses processors left with deer that hunters fail to claim at the end of the season. The committee approved the motion to withdraw and resubmit by acclamation; members later confirmed the action during a roll call sequence recorded in the transcript. The committee did not adopt revised language at the meeting.

Ruth told members DNR's counsel recommended pursuing a statutory amendment to provide explicit authority for processors to treat unclaimed animals as abandoned and recover fees; he said DNR would \"come back and see us\" with revised language. Committee members framed the issue as one of statutory authority rather than an operational dispute about processors' practices.

The subcommittee did not record a formal numeric roll call tally for the withdrawal motion in the transcript besides the voice-acclamation description; DNR staff said they would return with a new filing after consulting legal counsel and drafting proposed statutory or regulatory changes.","The subcommittee requested the Department of Natural Resources withdraw and resubmit a regulation on processing donated deer after DNR legal counsel said existing law does not authorize giving processors authority to treat unclaimed deer as abandoned.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6341620,"Subcommittee approves seasonal closure of DeBow Bank seabird sanctuary",276,73000,349000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2256736-950900048589fa359ac338c8fdd602db&start=73&end=349","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2256736-950900048589fa359ac338c8fdd602db/thumbnail_73000.jpg","/articles/6341620/South-Carolina/Subcommittee-approves-seasonal-closure-of-DeBow-Bank-seabird-sanctuary","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6341620-e3d936c0ce69d6278840960a8e9907f3/orig.mp4?Expires=1774996683&Signature=MB-UJ74dyifCvsQ0E45OK8JUCwWR2MQXshgaRMsYtrMTan~Md5pdjWUE7mI~ba3ipiqLWC9dD4L3JiDlRM3lKa3~O8LObq8HwrvqD-tg6OP7VuQXgpPU-0sbrfr54cxUQG97zgHo658yZk9TYrCmcvB3RQsC5zRzG1fWhelofyP4F2AgaYKM2BaC09Ks5yvFKXXt4BcvPJweqKiXk7a2WHS~YDbCX0m8J7pBqxzJ7hWzTlQSMZP45DDT6IPuQEov34exmhHdFiRjnGvURLzSr4cCcwcPAkhApU8axnG0XSc4~1YA-J1NU0SzhQnampBGjcI2hNAw4IIo~cNmPNn9Rg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Regulations and Administrative Procedures subcommittee voted 9-0 to approve a regulation that closes DeBow Bank\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000 the intertidal zone between the low-tide line and the high-tide line from March 15 to Oct. 15 each year, the seabird nesting season.

Will Dillman, a Department of Natural Resources wildlife official who the subcommittee identified as present to explain the regulation, said the measure would bar landing and beach use of that intertidal area during the closure. \"This is a relatively small island. It went down from about 80 acres in totality prior to Hurricane Nadalia down to only 18,\" Dillman said. \"There\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000 the portion we typically left open during nesting has basically eroded away, so there's no place where people can safely land and not provide disturbance to these birds.\"

The regulation applies to DeBow Bank, located at the mouth of the North Edisto River in Charleston, which DNR officials described as a seabird sanctuary protected since February 2006. Dillman told the subcommittee the site supports more than 27 bird species and \"thousands of nests,\" and that birds flush easily when people land near nesting sites, leading to nest failures. He said public use had been maintained where possible in past years, but the island's current condition no longer allowed a safe buffer between people and nesting birds.

Representative Pat Taylor, serving as co-chair for environment and natural resources during the meeting, asked for questions and then moved the recommendation. The roll call recorded the following votes: Mr. Alexander (yes), Mr. Bradley (yes), Mr. Gaffey (yes), Mr. Harts (yes), Mr. Long (yes), Mr. Martin (yes), Mr. Nies (yes), Mr. Taylor (yes), and Mr. Teeples (yes). Subcommittee leadership announced the tally as 9-0 and said the regulation was approved.

Dillman said DNR will continue to assess the site annually and monitor sedimentation and accretion. \"If there's time when accretion for the land mass would grow, we'd continue to assess that,\" he said. The subcommittee noted the closure had previously been implemented under an emergency regulation and that the permanent regulation reiterates that approach while establishing an annual review.

The subcommittee did not identify any parallel or additional legal references beyond the prior emergency regulation and the sanctuary designation noted by DNR.

The regulation directs closure of the intertidal area only during March 15\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000 to Oct. 15; people in boats who remain in the water at low tide would not be inside the closed zone, DNR said. The committee recorded no conditions or amendments to the regulation when it passed the measure.

DNR told the subcommittee it had worked with local communities on prior closures and that alternative public recreation areas exist, though Dillman warned \"there's not a lot of other places for these birds to go.\"","The Regulations and Administrative Procedures subcommittee approved a seasonal closure of DeBow Bank\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000the intertidal zone between March 15 and Oct. 15 to protect nesting seabirds; DNR says erosion has reduced the island's usable habitat from about 80 acres to roughly 18.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee approves electronic deer-harvest reporting rule but falls short of two-thirds to introduce committee bill

Subcommittee asks DNR to withdraw, resubmit donated-deer processing rule amid authority concerns

Subcommittee approves seasonal closure of DeBow Bank seabird sanctuary