Bill Text: IA HF2665 | 2023-2024 | 90th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to fur-bearing animals, including the establishment of a raccoon bounty program and fund and the assessment of fur dealer license fees, making appropriations, and providing penalties.(Formerly HF 2481, HSB 636.)
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2024-04-02 - Amendment H-8268 filed. H.J. 715. [HF2665 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2023-HF2665-Introduced.html
House
File
2665
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
2665
BY
COMMITTEE
ON
WAYS
AND
MEANS
(SUCCESSOR
TO
HF
2481)
(SUCCESSOR
TO
HSB
636)
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
fur-bearing
animals,
including
the
1
establishment
of
a
raccoon
bounty
program
and
fund
2
and
the
assessment
of
fur
dealer
license
fees,
making
3
appropriations,
and
providing
penalties.
4
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
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Section
1.
NEW
SECTION
.
481A.88
Raccoon
bounty
program
——
1
fund.
2
1.
The
department
shall
establish
and
administer
a
raccoon
3
bounty
program,
which
shall
operate
during
the
raccoon
trapping
4
season
established
by
the
commission
by
rule.
5
2.
a.
A
raccoon
bounty
fund
is
created
in
the
state
6
treasury
under
the
control
of
the
department.
The
fund
shall
7
consist
of
moneys
appropriated
to
or
deposited
in
the
fund,
8
including
moneys
deposited
pursuant
to
subsection
6,
and
9
donations
and
gifts
to
the
fund
obtained
from
any
source.
10
Moneys
in
the
fund
are
appropriated
to
the
department
for
the
11
distribution
of
payment
to
residents
for
participation
in
the
12
raccoon
bounty
program
and
as
provided
in
paragraph
“b”
.
13
b.
Fifty
cents
is
appropriated
to
the
department
from
the
14
raccoon
bounty
fund
for
each
raccoon
tail
relinquished
to
15
the
department
through
the
raccoon
bounty
program.
Moneys
16
appropriated
under
this
paragraph
shall
be
used
for
the
purpose
17
of
recovering
costs
associated
with
administering
the
raccoon
18
bounty
program.
19
c.
Notwithstanding
section
8.33,
moneys
in
the
raccoon
20
bounty
fund
that
remain
unencumbered
or
unobligated
at
the
21
close
of
a
fiscal
year
shall
not
revert
but
shall
remain
22
available
for
expenditure
for
the
purposes
designated.
23
Notwithstanding
section
12C.7,
subsection
2,
interest
or
24
earnings
on
moneys
in
the
raccoon
bounty
fund
shall
be
credited
25
to
the
fund.
26
3.
A
resident
with
a
fur
harvester
license
may
only
receive
27
a
bounty
for
a
raccoon
taken
during
the
raccoon
trapping
28
season
established
by
the
commission
by
rule.
A
resident
29
participating
in
the
raccoon
trapping
season
must
check
set
30
traps
every
twenty-four
hours.
31
4.
a.
A
resident
may
relinquish
to
the
department,
as
32
provided
in
subsection
5,
the
whole
tail
of
a
raccoon
taken
33
during
the
raccoon
trapping
season.
The
department
shall
pay
a
34
resident
five
dollars
for
each
whole
raccoon
tail
the
resident
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relinquishes
to
the
department,
provided
moneys
are
available
1
in
the
fund.
2
b.
A
person
issued
a
fur
dealer
license
valid
at
any
time
3
during
a
raccoon
trapping
season
and
associated
raccoon
bounty
4
program
is
prohibited
from
participating
in
the
raccoon
bounty
5
program.
6
5.
a.
The
department
shall
establish
a
monthly
raccoon
tail
7
pickup
event
in
each
county
during
each
month
of
the
raccoon
8
trapping
season
and
for
one
month
after
the
season
concludes.
9
The
department
shall
publish
on
the
website
of
the
department
10
the
date
and
location
of
the
pickup
events
at
the
beginning
11
of
the
raccoon
trapping
season
and
the
available
moneys
in
12
the
raccoon
bounty
fund
to
be
updated
by
the
department
each
13
week
of
a
raccoon
season
and
for
one
month
after
the
season
14
concludes.
A
resident
shall
relinquish
raccoon
tails
for
15
purposes
of
the
raccoon
bounty
program
in
the
county
in
which
16
the
resident
resides.
17
b.
The
commission
shall
adopt
rules
for
the
raccoon
bounty
18
program
including
but
not
limited
to
determining
details
for
19
monthly
raccoon
tail
pickup
events,
counting
raccoon
tails
20
received,
and
monitoring
and
controlling
relinquished
raccoon
21
tails.
22
c.
The
department
or
a
representative
of
the
department
23
shall
accept
raccoon
tails
from
a
resident
and
issue
to
the
24
resident
a
voucher
for
each
raccoon
tail
relinquished.
25
d.
The
department
shall
accept
vouchers
and
issue
a
check
in
26
the
amount
of
five
dollars
for
each
raccoon
tail
relinquished
27
at
the
pickup
event
to
the
voucher
recipient.
28
6.
a.
A
person
who
relinquishes
or
attempts
to
relinquish
29
to
the
department
for
payment
a
raccoon
tail
that
was
not
30
taken
in
this
state,
was
already
brought
to
the
department
for
31
payment,
or
was
taken
outside
of
the
current
raccoon
trapping
32
season
is
guilty
of
a
simple
misdemeanor.
33
b.
In
addition,
a
violation
of
this
section
is
subject
34
to
administrative
penalties
imposed
by
the
department,
which
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may
include
license
revocation
and
suspension
of
trapping
1
privileges
for
up
to
two
years
and
a
civil
penalty
of
not
2
more
than
two
hundred
fifty
dollars
per
offense.
Any
civil
3
penalty
collected
under
this
paragraph
shall
be
deposited
in
4
the
raccoon
bounty
fund
established
in
subsection
2.
5
7.
The
department
shall
monitor
trapping
data
to
ensure
6
excessive
harvesting
does
not
occur
and
to
investigate
7
potential
fraud.
8
Sec.
2.
Section
481A.95,
subsection
1,
Code
2024,
is
amended
9
to
read
as
follows:
10
1.
A
license
shall
be
required
of
each
fur
dealer
and
each
11
employee,
agent,
or
representative
of
a
fur
dealer
except
when
12
the
employee,
agent,
or
representative
is
operating
solely
on
13
the
premises
of
a
licensed
fur
dealer.
A
fur
dealer
shall
14
conduct
business
only
at
the
location
specified
on
the
dealer’s
15
license,
at
an
established
fur
auction,
at
the
nonadvertised
16
residence
of
a
licensed
fur
harvester,
at
a
raccoon
tail
pickup
17
event
as
described
in
section
481A.88,
or
at
the
place
of
18
business
located
in
the
state
specified
on
the
license
of
any
19
fur
dealer.
A
nonresident
licensed
fur
dealer
may
purchase
20
location
permits
to
operate
at
locations
other
than
at
the
21
location
specified
on
the
fur
dealer’s
license.
A
resident
22
licensed
fur
dealer
may
obtain
location
permits
without
fee.
23
Each
location
permit
shall
be
valid
only
for
the
one
location
24
specified
on
the
location
permit
and
shall
entitle
the
fur
25
dealer
and
employee,
agent,
or
representative
of
the
licensed
26
fur
dealer
to
operate
at
that
location.
The
commission
shall,
27
upon
application
and
the
payment
of
the
required
license
fee,
28
if
any,
furnish
the
proper
license
and
location
permits
to
the
29
dealer.
30
Sec.
3.
Section
481A.95,
subsection
2,
Code
2024,
is
amended
31
by
striking
the
subsection
and
inserting
in
lieu
thereof
the
32
following:
33
2.
Fees
for
a
license
issued
under
this
section
shall
34
be
no
more
than
fifty
dollars
annually
for
a
resident
or
a
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nonresident
fur
dealer.
1
EXPLANATION
2
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
3
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
4
This
bill
relates
to
fur-bearing
animals,
including
the
5
establishment
of
a
raccoon
bounty
program
(program)
and
fund
6
and
the
assessment
of
fur
dealer
license
fees.
The
bill
7
directs
the
department
of
natural
resources
(DNR)
to
establish
8
and
administer
the
program,
which
shall
operate
during
the
9
raccoon
trapping
season
established
by
the
natural
resource
10
commission
(NRC)
by
rule.
Current
NRC
rules
set
the
raccoon
11
trapping
season
as
8
a.m.
on
the
first
Saturday
in
November
12
through
February
28
of
the
succeeding
year.
13
The
bill
establishes
a
raccoon
bounty
fund
in
the
state
14
treasury
under
the
control
of
DNR.
The
raccoon
bounty
fund
15
shall
consist
of
moneys
deposited
in
the
raccoon
bounty
fund,
16
including
moneys
collected
from
the
civil
penalties
assessed
17
under
the
bill
and
gifts
and
donations
received
for
the
18
raccoon
bounty
fund.
Moneys
in
the
raccoon
bounty
fund
are
19
appropriated
to
DNR
to
pay
participants
in
the
program
and
to
20
administer
the
program.
21
The
bill
requires
trappers
to
check
set
traps
every
24
22
hours.
The
bill
authorizes
a
resident
with
a
valid
fur
23
harvester
license
to
relinquish
to
DNR
the
whole
tail
of
a
24
raccoon
taken
during
the
raccoon
trapping
season.
A
resident
25
shall
receive
$5
from
DNR
for
each
whole
raccoon
tail
the
26
resident
relinquishes
to
DNR
at
a
monthly
pickup
event
held
in
27
every
county.
DNR
is
appropriated
50
cents
for
each
raccoon
28
tail
relinquished
at
the
monthly
pickup
event.
The
bill
29
requires
NRC
to
adopt
rules
for
the
program
and
determine
the
30
details
for
monthly
pickup
events
for
raccoon
tails.
The
bill
31
prohibits
a
person
with
a
fur
dealer
license
from
participating
32
in
the
program.
33
A
person
who
relinquishes
or
attempts
to
relinquish
a
34
raccoon
tail
that
was
not
taken
in
this
state,
was
already
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relinquished
to
the
department,
or
was
taken
outside
of
the
1
raccoon
trapping
season
is
guilty
of
a
simple
misdemeanor.
A
2
simple
misdemeanor
is
punishable
by
confinement
for
no
more
3
than
30
days
and
a
fine
of
at
least
$105
but
not
more
than
$855.
4
DNR
shall
assess
penalties
for
violations,
which
may
include
5
license
revocation,
suspension
of
trapping
privileges
for
up
6
to
two
years,
and
a
civil
penalty
of
not
more
than
$250
per
7
offense.
The
department
shall
gather
trapping
data
to
ensure
8
trappers
are
not
excessively
harvesting
raccoons
or
committing
9
fraud.
10
A
person
who
unlawfully
takes
a
raccoon
is
also
liable
11
for
damages
in
the
amount
of
$200
for
each
raccoon
taken
as
12
provided
in
Code
section
481A.130.
A
person
who
unlawfully
13
takes
a
raccoon
may
also
be
subject
to
a
criminal
scheduled
14
fine
of
$75
as
provided
in
Code
section
805.8B.
All
unlawfully
15
taken
raccoons
shall
be
seized
by
the
director
of
DNR
or
any
16
peace
officer
and
relinquished
to
a
representative
of
NRC.
17
The
bill
includes
a
raccoon
tail
pickup
event
as
a
location
18
for
a
fur
dealer
to
conduct
business.
Under
the
bill,
a
19
fur
dealer
does
not
need
to
purchase
a
location
permit
to
20
operate
at
a
raccoon
tail
pickup
event.
Further,
a
resident
21
or
nonresident
fur
dealer
does
not
have
to
pay
a
fee
to
obtain
22
a
location
permit.
23
The
bill
also
creates
a
maximum
fur
dealer
license
fee
24
of
$50,
regardless
of
resident
status.
Current
law
allows
25
residents
from
another
state
to
purchase
a
fur
dealer’s
license
26
for
a
set
fee
unless
that
state
has
reciprocity
with
Iowa,
in
27
which
case
the
nonresident
shall
pay
the
reciprocity
fee
amount
28
that
is
less
than
the
nonresident
license
fee
but
more
than
the
29
Iowa
resident
license
fee.
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