ENROLLED HOUSE
BILL NO. 2618	By:	Martin (Steve) of the House

				and

		Fields of the Senate

An Act relating to game and fish; prohibiting persons from capturing nuisance wildlife for commercial purposes without a nuisance wildlife control operator permit; requiring completion of the nuisance wildlife control operator certification examination; exempting certain persons from permit and testing requirements; setting the annual fee for the permit; providing penalty for violations; authorizing revocation of permit for violations; providing for codification; and providing an effective date.

SUBJECT:  Nuisance wildlife

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:

SECTION 1.     NEW LAW     A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 4-135.1 of Title 29, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:

A.  Except as otherwise provided in this title, no person shall trap, capture, possess, transport, relocate or euthanize any nuisance wildlife for commercial purposes under rules promulgated by the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission without first procuring a nuisance wildlife control operator permit from the Director of Wildlife Conservation.

B.  A nuisance wildlife control operator permit may be issued only to those persons who have successfully completed the nuisance wildlife control operator certification examination provided by the Department of Wildlife Conservation.

C.  Employees of any federal, state, county or local governmental entity designated to control nuisance wildlife while on duty shall be exempt from the nuisance wildlife control operator permit and testing requirements set forth in this section.

D.  The annual fee for the nuisance wildlife control operator permit shall be Seventy-five Dollars ($75.00).

E.  Any person convicted of violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) nor more than Two Hundred Dollars ($200.00) for residents and not less than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) for nonresidents.

F.  Any person convicted of violating the provisions of this section may have his or her nuisance wildlife control operator permit revoked for a period of up to three (3) years or permanently revoked as deemed appropriate by the Director.

SECTION 2.  This act shall become effective November 1, 2014.

Passed the House of Representatives the 26th day of February, 2014.

	
	Presiding Officer of the House
	of Representatives

Passed the Senate the 15th day of April, 2014.

	
	Presiding Officer of the Senate

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Received by the Office of the Governor this ____________________ day of ___________________, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
By: _________________________________
Approved by the Governor of the State of Oklahoma this _________ day of ___________________, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.

	_________________________________
	Governor of the State of Oklahoma

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE
Received by the Office of the Secretary of State this __________ day of __________________, 20 _______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
By: _________________________________