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Committee moves to make California’s migratory bird protections permanent
Summary
AB 454 would remove the sunset on the California Migratory Bird Protection Act so the state statute continues to prohibit incidental take in line with the historic federal approach; conservation groups supported the change and no organized opposition testified.
Assemblymember Carl presented AB 454 to remove the sunset date from the California Migratory Bird Protection Act, keeping the state's version of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act intact even if federal interpretations change. He said the state law preserves the long‑standing approach that covers incidental take, citing decades of regulatory practice and the need for predictability.
Michael Chen of Audubon California said migratory bird populations have declined dramatically and that state law should ensure consistent protection regardless of federal administration actions. Several environmental groups testified in strong support; no organized opposition appeared in committee.
Senator Grove raised questions about how incidental take and permits work for industrial operations and expressed concern about perceived costs; sponsors said the bill preserves existing longstanding duties (best practices and, where appropriate, permitting or mitigation) and that it has not produced widespread enforcement actions since its prior enactment. The committee moved AB 454 to Appropriations; the motion was recorded and the item put on call.
