House Study Bill 608 HOUSE FILE BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY BILL BY CHAIRPERSON SWAIM) Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays Approved A BILL FOR 1 An Act relating to the disposal of dead animal carcasses in a 2 water of this state, and providing penalties. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 5796YC 82 5 da/nh/5 PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. Section 167.18, Code 2007, is amended to read 1 2 as follows: 1 3 167.18 DUTY TO DISPOSE OF DEAD BODIES. 1 4 A person who has been caring for or who owns an animal that 1 5 has died shallnot allow the carcass to lie about the person's 1 6 premises. The carcass shall be disposed ofdispose of the 1 7 animal's carcass within twenty=four hours after the animal's 1 8 death. The person shall dispose of the carcass by cooking, 1 9 burying, or burning it, as provided in this chapter, or by 1 10 disposing of it, within the allowed time, to a person licensed 1 11 to dispose of it. If the carcass is disposed of in a water of 1 12 the state, as defined in section 455B.171, the department 1 13 shall cooperate with the department of natural resources in 1 14 investigating the incident, enforcing this section, and 1 15 remediating the damage. 1 16 Sec. 2. Section 167.19, Code 2007, is amended to read as 1 17 follows: 1 18 167.19PENALTYPENALTIES. 1 19 1. a.AExcept as provided in paragraph "b", a person who 1 20 violates this chapter or a rule adopted by the department 1 21 pursuant to this chapter is guilty of a simple misdemeanor. 1 22 The person may be subject to a civil penalty of not less than 1 23 one hundred dollars and not more than one thousand dollars for 1 24 each violation. However, the state shall be precluded from 1 25 bringing a criminal action against the person under this 1 26 subsection, if the department has initiated a civil 1 27 enforcement proceeding against the person. 1 28 b. A person who violates section 167.18 by disposing of an 1 29 animal carcass into a water of the state as defined in section 1 30 455B.171 is guilty of a serious misdemeanor. The person is 1 31 also subject to a civil penalty of not less than one thousand 1 32 dollars and not more than five thousand dollars for each 1 33 carcass that the person disposes of in a water of the state. 1 34 A person who disposes of one or more parts of an animal 1 35 carcass or offal from that animal on the same occasion is 2 1 guilty of a single violation. 2 2 2. Moneys collected in civil penalties under this section 2 3 shall be deposited into the general fund of the state. 2 4 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION. 167.19A RESTITUTION. 2 5 A person who is guilty of or civilly liable for disposing 2 6 of an animal carcass into a water of the state as provided in 2 7 section 167.19 shall pay restitution to the following: 2 8 1. The department of agriculture and land stewardship or 2 9 the department of natural resources for costs associated with 2 10 properly disposing of the animal carcass by that department. 2 11 The moneys received by the department shall be treated as 2 12 repayment receipts as provided in section 8.2. 2 13 2. The department of natural resources for injury caused 2 14 to a wild animal or the department's administrative expenses. 2 15 The moneys shall be deposited in the state fish and game 2 16 protection fund created in section 456A.17 as provided in 2 17 section 481A.151. 2 18 3. The department of natural resources for performing 2 19 testing of the quality of the waters of the state where the 2 20 animal carcass was disposed. The moneys shall be deposited 2 21 into the watershed improvement fund created in section 466A.2. 2 22 EXPLANATION 2 23 This bill amends provisions in Code chapter 167 which 2 24 prohibit a person from disposing of an animal other than by 2 25 cooking, burying, burning, or providing it to a person 2 26 licensed under the Code chapter for rendering. The bill 2 27 provides that the department of agriculture and land 2 28 stewardship, which is responsible for administering the Code 2 29 chapter, must cooperate with the department of natural 2 30 resources when a violation of the disposal requirements 2 31 involves placing an animal carcass in a water of the state 2 32 (see Code section 167.19 and 21 IAC 61.32). A water of the 2 33 state includes a stream, lake, pond, marsh, watercourse, 2 34 waterway, well, spring, reservoir, aquifer, irrigation system, 2 35 or drainage system. 3 1 The bill provides an enhanced penalty for the illegal 3 2 disposal, from a simple misdemeanor to a serious misdemeanor, 3 3 and increases the civil penalty from a range between $100 and 3 4 $1,000 to a range between $1,000 and $5,000. Unlike the 3 5 general penalty provision, a person may be subject to both a 3 6 criminal and civil penalty. 3 7 In addition to the penalty provisions, a person who 3 8 illegally deposits an animal carcass into a water of the state 3 9 must pay restitution to the state, including to the agency 3 10 which provides for its proper disposal, to the department of 3 11 natural resources under its restitution statute for water 3 12 pollution (Code section 481A.151), and to the department of 3 13 natural resources for performing water quality testing. 3 14 A simple misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for no 3 15 more than 30 days or a fine of at least $65 but not more than 3 16 $625 or by both. A serious misdemeanor is punishable by 3 17 confinement for no more than one year and a fine of at least 3 18 $315 but not more than $1,875. 3 19 LSB 5796YC 82 3 20 da/nh/5