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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2015 - 2016
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | December 8, 2015 02:22 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Neal P. Goodman |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Theft of Trail Cameras - Title 34 (Game Code) |
| In the near future, I will be introducing legislation that amends Title 34 (Game) to add a specific crime within the Game Code for the stealing of trail cameras and devices used to visually record wildlife. My bill will add these popular game watching cameras to the section of Title 34 that covers hunter harassment and the theft or destruction of other hunting related personal property. My bill also increases the penalty for such acts to a summary of the first degree from a summary of the second degree. A Summary 1 conviction in Title 34 brings a fine of $1,000 to $1,500 and a possible jail sentence of up to 3 months. Also new in my bill will be a mandatory hunting license revocation of one year for the guilty hunter. This would also trigger the requirement for a violator to attend a remedial hunter education and safety course. In recent years, the use of trail cameras has increased and given hunters a new tool to identify and pattern wildlife. Unfortunately, a result of the greater number of these cameras in the woods has been a spike in the number of cameras being stolen. My bill adds these cameras to the section of the Game Code that covers tree stands, blinds, decoys, and other devices that hunters use. By increasing the penalty for the theft or destruction of all these items, I hope to give an added protection to the investment and property of hunters. My bill also mandates that any licensed hunter found guilty under this section of Title 34 will lose their hunting and trapping privileges for one year. |
Introduced as HB1764