House File 703 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 703 BY COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES (SUCCESSOR TO HSB 217) A BILL FOR An Act prohibiting the use of unmanned vehicles to disturb, 1 pursue, fish, or hunt wild animals and providing penalties. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 2274HV (2) 88 js/rn
H.F. 703 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 481A.125B Unmanned vehicle —— 1 prohibition —— exemptions —— civil penalties. 2 1. As used in this section: 3 a. “Radio control vehicle” means a vehicle, vessel, or 4 other device that is operated remotely by a person using a 5 transmitter to send radio waves to a receiver on the vehicle, 6 vessel, or other device. 7 b. “Unmanned aerial vehicle” means the same as defined in 8 section 719.9. 9 c. “Unmanned vehicle” includes an unmanned aerial vehicle 10 and a radio control vehicle. 11 2. A person shall not disturb, pursue, fish, or hunt or 12 assist in the disturbing, pursuing, fishing, or hunting of a 13 wild animal by using an unmanned vehicle. 14 3. This section does not apply in the following 15 circumstances: 16 a. Use of an unmanned aerial vehicle to track a downed deer 17 over land open to the public for hunting, property on which 18 the person has received permission from the owner or tenant to 19 operate an unmanned aerial vehicle, or property owned or leased 20 by that person. 21 b. Use of an unmanned aerial vehicle operating for 22 commercial use unrelated to hunting and fishing in 23 compliance with federal aviation administration regulations, 24 authorizations, or exemptions. 25 c. Use of an unmanned vehicle by the department for purposes 26 of removing or controlling invasive species. 27 4. A person who violates this section is subject to a civil 28 penalty that shall be established, assessed, and collected by 29 the department by rule. Moneys collected from imposition of a 30 civil penalty pursuant to this subsection shall be deposited 31 in the state fish and game protection fund created in section 32 456A.17. A civil penalty for a violation of this section shall 33 not exceed ten thousand dollars for each violation. 34 EXPLANATION 35 -1- LSB 2274HV (2) 88 js/rn 1/ 2
H.F. 703 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 1 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 2 This bill prohibits a person from using an unmanned vehicle, 3 as defined in the bill, to disturb, pursue, fish, or hunt or 4 assist in the disturbing, pursuing, fishing, or hunting of a 5 wild animal. The bill does not prohibit a person from using 6 an unmanned aerial vehicle to track a downed deer over land 7 open to the public for hunting, property on which the person 8 has received permission from the owner or tenant to operate an 9 unmanned aerial vehicle, or property owned or leased by the 10 person; does not prohibit the use of an unmanned aerial vehicle 11 for commercial purposes unrelated to hunting and fishing 12 as long as the use is in compliance with federal aviation 13 administration regulations, authorizations, or exemptions; 14 and does not prohibit the use of an unmanned vehicle by the 15 department of natural resources for purposes of removing or 16 controlling invasive species. A person who violates the bill 17 is subject to a civil penalty established by the department by 18 rule that shall not exceed $10,000 for each violation. 19 -2- LSB 2274HV (2) 88 js/rn 2/ 2