Committee reviews technical corrections bill H.231 for Fish and Wildlife

The Natural Resources & Energy Committee heard lawmakers and agency staff discuss H.231, a technical corrections bill for the Fish and Wildlife Department, during a committee meeting. The bill would remove outdated fish definitions, clarify when nests may be taken, adjust the enforcement point system for wildlife violations, restore Judicial Bureau jurisdiction over certain public‑waters tickets, and add language on possessing certain loaded long guns and cocked crossbows in vehicles.

Savannah Smith, general counsel for Fish and Wildlife, described the proposal as “a relatively short bill dealing with truly housekeeping matters that the department felt were time sensitive.” She walked members through the measure section by section and answered committee questions about scope and enforcement.

The bill would remove two statutory fish listings that Smith said are outdated and are now managed through the agency’s fish‑management rules (referred to in testimony as section 122 of the Fish and Wildlife regulations). Smith told the committee the current statutory list functions as a species list rather than a biological definition and that management details for those…