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.
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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
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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→ [
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→ [
40 (3) (a) Unless the condition described in Subsection (3)(b) is Ĥ→ [
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→ [
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→ [
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.