Senate passes technical fish and wildlife cleanups, adds protections for reptiles and amphibians

The Vermont Senate passed H.2/31, a technical corrections bill addressing multiple fish and wildlife statutes. The measure—reported by the Senate committees on Natural Resources and Energy, Finance and Appropriations—was amended on the floor and passed in concurrence with the committees’ recommendations.

Committee reporters said the broad bill included cleanups and policy changes: striking an obsolete pickerel definition, clarifying nest‑protection exceptions, expanding eligibility for free fishing licenses to people with developmental disabilities, authorizing a mentored free‑fishing weekend over Labor Day, adjusting fishing‑tournament permitting and fees to scale by expected participants, updating vessel and water‑use enforcement pathways, and revising penalties, courts and civil‑violation structures for fish and wildlife offenses.

The bill adds new restrictions aimed at curbing illegal commerce and population impacts on amphibian and reptile species. Committee discussion said the text prohibits the intentional taking of reptiles and amphibians for commercial trade, clarifies permitting…