Committee recommends ITL on bill addressing killing contests, wanton waste; 12-3

The House Fish and Game and Marine Resources Committee voted 12-3 to recommend an Inexpedient to Legislate (ITL) on HB 589, a bill aimed at addressing so-called "killing contests" and wanton waste in hunting.

Committee members said the New Hampshire Fish and Game Commission and department staff can — and in some instances already do — create rules addressing wanton waste and the oversight of contests, and several lawmakers argued that rulemaking offers a faster, more flexible response than new legislation.

Representatives who spoke during the hearing described competing views about how to address contests that some witnesses characterized as organized events that encourage excessive killing of wildlife. Representative Harvey said the commission has promised to take up wanton-waste rules and that letting the commission and the new director craft rules — with public hearings — could be preferable to passing legislation that may require correction…