Alabama House committee hears divided public testimony on HB 509, which would curb state testing and transfer authority for captive deer

An Alabama House committee held a public hearing on House Bill 509, a measure that would limit state agencies’ authority to test, kill or restrict the transfer of captive deer for disease control, and heard about nine speakers split between supporting and opposing the bill.

Supporters — mostly deer breeders and allied industry groups — told the committee the bill would protect private-property rights and permit breeders to develop animals less susceptible to chronic wasting disease (CWD). “The solution lies with breeders who are breeding for resistance,” said Jack Crosby, who identified himself as a deer farmer. Cameron Odom, another breeder, described work with Texas A&M geneticist Christopher Seabury and said breeders are selecting DNA markers to reduce susceptibility.

Opponents, including the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and representatives of hunting and livestock interests, said HB 509 would remove important disease-detection and movement controls and put the state’s wild deer herd and hunting economy at risk. “HB 509 would take tools out of their tool pouch to actually monitor for, detect, and manage CWD in this state,” said Tim Gallagher, executive director of the Alabama Wildlife Federation. Commissioner Chris Blankenship (Department of Conservation and Natural Resources) told the committee DCNR has 12 confirmed CWD cases, all confined to northwest Alabama, and warned the bill would “facilitate the spread of CWD” by allowing movement from CWD zones without agency testing or restrictions.

The bill, as discussed at the hearing, would restrict state agencies’ ability to conduct postmortem or live testing and to order depopulation or other movement limits except under certain circumstances described in the bill. Several breeders argued the current regulatory framework treats animals in their pens as property and that mandatory culling and transfer restrictions can wipe out their businesses. “If the CWD regulation comes into effect in my area, I will no longer be able to do this for a living,” said Troy Zucchini, a breeder who said he has participated in monitoring programs and would prefer live testing over postmortem culling when possible.

Speakers debated technical and policy details that surfaced repeatedly during the hearing:

- Testing and surveillance: DCNR and industry representatives described an existing monitoring program for breeder facilities that requires testing of natural deaths 12 months or older and occasional targeted sampling in CWD zones; opponents of HB 509 said the bill would prevent agencies from doing postmortem surveillance or live testing unless breeders provided samples. Supporters said a live (antemortem) test is in development and that genetic selection can reduce susceptibility.

- Movement restrictions and economic impact: Opponents warned that allowing unrestricted transfers from CWD zones could spread infection statewide; supporters said breeders already move animals only between enclosed facilities and that the bill protects inventory and private-property rights. Multiple speakers cited economic stakes: Gallagher described Alabama’s hunting industry as a roughly $2 billion sector funding much conservation work; one breeder said an animal might sell for about $5,000 and an individual test roughly $500.

- Scope of regulation and terminology: Several speakers noted differences in facility types (small breeding pens versus large hunting enclosures), and witnesses referenced current rules that prohibit hunting tame animals and require licensed facilities to allow inspections and adhere to herd-health plans.

Committee action: After the public comment period, a motion was made and seconded to advance the measure. The committee resolved the question by voice vote; the transcript records the chair calling “All in favor say aye,” followed by “All opposed, no,” and then the committee clerk asking whether there was a favorable report. The record does not include a roll-call tally or names linked to individual yea/nay votes in the transcript excerpt provided.

Why it matters: The debate centers on trade-offs between private-property and business protections for deer breeders and authority for state agencies to detect and contain contagious animal disease. Chronic wasting disease is a long-standing, fatal prion illness of cervids; stakeholders disagreed about how best to detect it, how to treat captive deer in response to nearby positive findings and what role breeding programs should play in reducing susceptibility.

What was not resolved at the hearing: The bill text’s precise exceptions to agency authority, any agreed amendments to allow state-paid live testing or preserve specific surveillance elements, and a roll-call vote with member names were not set out in the transcript. Several speakers suggested live (antemortem) testing or state-funded testing as potential compromises, but no amendment was adopted on the floor during the excerpted hearing.

The committee advanced the measure by voice vote; subsequent steps — floor consideration, any amendments, and final passage or defeat in the full House — were not recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.