Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Wildlife Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House passes substitute bill allowing local removal of dangerous predators in specified populated and agricultural areas
Summary
First substitute HB 159 passed the House after debate and amendment; it allows local officials to take dangerous wild predators that enter municipalities or specified cultivated agricultural areas without prior Division of Wildlife Resources approval, and it adds penalties for interference.
On Feb. 13 the House passed first substitute House Bill 159, titled "Control of Wild Animals within Municipalities," addressing public-safety concerns when bears, cougars and other dangerous predators enter populated or agricultural communities. Sponsor Representative Thomas Hatch said the measure was prompted by repeated incidents in which wildlife entered towns or farm areas and officials had difficulty obtaining timely Division of Wildlife Resources assistance.
The substitute bill allows local officials to take dangerous wild animals that enter municipalities or certain "cultivated agricultural areas" without obtaining prior Division of Wildlife Resources approval, and it makes interference with authorized removal a class B misdemeanor. During floor debate Representative Tanner and others raised alternatives such as tranquilization; Hatch said the bill did not prohibit tranquilizing animals but that communities could lack the capacity to do so. Representative Wright proposed and the House adopted an amendment inserting the phrase "cultivated agricultural area" into the geographic scope so that the bill explicitly covers intense farming areas outside incorporated municipalities.
The House rejected motions that would have broadened or narrowed the scope in various ways, debated constitutional review requests, and ultimately approved the substitute bill by recorded vote, 50 yes to 18 no. Representative Hatch described local safety incidents including instances where animals repeatedly visited town refuse and where local officials were unable to secure timely state intervention.
Why it matters: the bill shifts immediate decisionmaking authority to local officials in places where wild predators pose a regular safety threat, clarifies criminal penalties for interference with removal, and adds specific geographic language to the statute. Members debated balancing wildlife protections against the need to protect people, pets and livestock.
Next steps: the substitute bill passed the House and will be forwarded to the Senate for consideration.
