GRAY WOLF ATTACKING DOG S.B. 1084 (S-4):
FLOOR SUMMARY
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Senate Bill 1084 (Substitute S-4 as reported)
Sponsor: Senator Ron Jelinek
Committee: Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs
CONTENT
The bill would create a new act to authorize the owner of a dog, or his or her designated agent, to remove, capture, or, if deemed necessary, use lethal means to destroy a gray wolf that was in the act of preying upon the owner's dog.
The owner or designated agent would have to report the taking of a gray wolf to a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) official as soon as practicable, but not later than 12 hours after the taking. The owner or designated agent would have to retain possession of the wolf until a Department official was available to take possession of and transfer it to the appropriate DNR personnel for examination. If lethal means were used, a person could not move or disturb the deceased gray wolf until a DNR official was available to take possession of and transfer it to the appropriate personnel for examination or until as otherwise directed by a DNR official. A person could not disturb the area where the wolf was destroyed until the Department completed an official investigation. If a dog were attacked or killed, a person who used lethal means to destroy a wolf would have to produce the dog for inspection by DNR officials. A person who violated any of these provisions would be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to 90 days and/or a fine of at least $100 but not more than $1,000.
A DNR official would have to respond to the scene where lethal means were used within 12 hours after the official was notified.
If any Federal or State litigation overturned the decision to remove gray wolves from the list of endangered species, the DNR would have to report to the Legislature on the litigation's impact on the proposed act.
Legislative Analyst: Suzanne Lowe
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on the State. The additional responsibilities of Department officials to retrieve a gray wolf from the owner of a dog would be paid for from existing resources.
The bill would have an indeterminate fiscal impact on local government. There are no data to indicate how many offenders would be convicted of the proposed offenses involving the taking of gray wolves. Local governments would incur the costs of misdemeanor probation and incarceration in local facilities, which vary by county. Additional penal fine revenue would benefit public libraries.
Date Completed: 9-24-08 Fiscal Analyst: Lindsay Hollander
Jessica RunnelsAnalysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. sb1084/0708