This document includes House Committee Amendments incorporated into the bill on Thu, Feb 6, 2020 at 8:59 AM by pflowers.
This document includes House Floor Amendments incorporated into the bill on Wed, Feb 12, 2020 at 10:16 AM by pflowers.
Representative Carl R. Albrecht proposes the following substitute bill:


1     
DIVISION OF WILDLIFE RESOURCES AMENDMENTS

2     
2020 GENERAL SESSION

3     
STATE OF UTAH

4     
Chief Sponsor: Carl R. Albrecht

5     
Senate Sponsor: Ralph Okerlund

6     

7     LONG TITLE
8     General Description:
9          This bill addresses activities overseen by the director of the Division of Wildlife
10     Resources.
11     Highlighted Provisions:
12          This bill:
13          ▸     provides a policy statement;
14          ▸     defines terms;
15          ▸     directs the director to take immediate action under certain circumstances when a big
16     game population is under the established herd size objective for a management unit;
17          ▸     describes what is immediate action; and
18          ▸     requires reporting.
19     Money Appropriated in this Bill:
20          None
21     Other Special Clauses:
22          This bill provides a special effective date.
23     Utah Code Sections Affected:
24     ENACTS:
25          23-16-10, Utah Code Annotated 1953

26     

27     Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
28          Section 1. Section 23-16-10 is enacted to read:
29          23-16-10. Big game protection -- Director authority.
30          (1) It is the policy of the state that big game animals are of great importance to the
31     citizens of the state, the citizen's quality of life, and the long term sustainability of the herds for
32     future generations.
33          (2) As used in this section:
34          (a) "Big game" includes Ĥ→ [
mule] ←Ĥ deer, elk, big horn sheep, moose, mountain goats,
35     pronghorn, and bison.
36          (b) "Director" means the director of the Division of Wildlife Resources.
37          (c) "Management unit" means a prescribed area of contiguous land designated by the
38     Division of Wildlife Resources for the purpose of managing a species of big game animal.
39          (d) "Predator" means a cougar, bear, Ĥ→ and ←Ĥ coyote Ĥ→ [
, and bobcat] ←Ĥ .
40          (3) (a) Unless the condition described in Subsection (3)(b) is Ĥ→ [
proven] determined ←Ĥ 40a     , the director shall
41     take immediate action to reduce the number of predators within a management unit when the
42     big game population is under the established herd size objective for that management unit.
43          (b) Subsection (3)(a) does not apply if the Division of Wildlife Resources Ĥ→ [
proves]
43a     determines ←Ĥ that
44     predators are not Ĥ→ significantly ←Ĥ contributing to the big game population being under the
44a     herd size objective
45     for the management unit.
46          (4) Immediate action under Subsection (3) includes any of the following management
47     tools:
48          (a) increasing take permits or tags for cougar Ĥ→ [
,] and ←Ĥ bear Ĥ→ [, and bobcat] ←Ĥ
48a     until the herd size
49     objective is met;
50          (b) allowing big game hunters to harvest predators with the appropriate permit during a
51     big game hunting season, including issuing over-the-counter predator permits;
52          (c) professional trapping and predator control by the United States Department of
53     Agriculture Wildlife Services, private contracts, and the general public, including aerial control
54     measures; and
55          (d) other management tools as determined by the director.
56          (5) The director shall annually give a status report on predator control measures

57     implemented pursuant to this chapter to the Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environmental
58     Quality Appropriations Subcommittee and Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment
59     Interim Committee.
60          Section 2. Effective date.
61          If approved by two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, this bill takes effect
62     upon approval by the governor, or the day following the constitutional time limit of Utah
63     Constitution, Article VII, Section 8, without the governor's signature, or in the case of a veto,
64     the date of veto override.