Committee advances bill to bar license purchases by hunters behind on restitution, amid mixed testimony

Senate Bill 1003 was presented to the Resources and Conservation Committee by Representative Petzke as a measure to prevent people who are behind on Fish and Game restitution from buying hunting and fishing licenses or tags.

Representative Petzke said the bill addresses a population of people who remain delinquent on restitution but continue to purchase licenses; he described the change as "a pretty fair thing" so that people who buy tags are also current on fines. The sponsor said roughly the number of people affected was in the hundreds.

Greg Wooten, chief of enforcement for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, provided the most specific figures and operational detail to the committee. Wooten said the department currently has 185 offenders owing $282,622 in restitution — roughly $1,500 per person if averaged — and that about half of those people had an active hunting license in 2024. He explained how current statute and practice interact with the…