House Study Bill 217 - Introduced HOUSE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES BILL BY CHAIRPERSON BACON) A BILL FOR An Act prohibiting the use of unmanned vehicles to disturb, 1 pursue, fish, or hunt wild animals. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 2274YC (4) 88 js/rn
H.F. _____ Section 1. NEW SECTION . 481A.125B Unmanned vehicle —— 1 prohibition —— 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 prohibit a person from using an 15 unmanned aerial vehicle to track a downed deer over land open 16 to the public for hunting, property on which the person has 17 received permission from the owner or tenant to operate an 18 unmanned aerial vehicle, or property owned or leased by the 19 person. 20 4. A person who violates this section is subject to a civil 21 penalty that shall be established, assessed, and collected by 22 the department by rule. Moneys collected from imposition of a 23 civil penalty pursuant to this subsection shall be deposited 24 in the state fish and game protection fund created in section 25 456A.17. A civil penalty for a violation of this section shall 26 not exceed ten thousand dollars for each violation. 27 EXPLANATION 28 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 29 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 30 This bill prohibits a person from using an unmanned vehicle, 31 as defined in the bill, to disturb, pursue, fish, or hunt or 32 assist in the disturbing, pursuing, fishing, or hunting of a 33 wild animal. The bill does not prohibit a person from using 34 an unmanned aerial vehicle to track a downed deer over land 35 -1- LSB 2274YC (4) 88 js/rn 1/ 2
H.F. _____ open to the public for hunting, property on which the person 1 has received permission from the owner or tenant to operate an 2 unmanned aerial vehicle, or property owned or leased by the 3 person. A person who violates the bill is subject to a civil 4 penalty established by the department of natural resources by 5 rule that shall not exceed $10,000 for each violation. 6 -2- LSB 2274YC (4) 88 js/rn 2/ 2