House Study Bill 636 - Introduced HOUSE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION BILL BY CHAIRPERSON FISHER) A BILL FOR An Act relating to fur-bearing animals, including the 1 establishment of a raccoon bounty program and fund 2 and the assessment of fur dealer license fees, making 3 appropriations, and providing penalties. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 6272YC (2) 90 lh/js

H.F. _____ Section 1. NEW SECTION . 481A.88 Raccoon bounty program —— 1 fund. 2 1. The department shall establish and administer a raccoon 3 bounty program, which shall operate during the raccoon trapping 4 season established by the commission by rule. 5 2. a. A raccoon bounty fund is created in the state 6 treasury under the control of the department. The fund shall 7 consist of moneys appropriated to or deposited in the fund, 8 including moneys deposited pursuant to subsection 6, and 9 donations and gifts to the fund obtained from any source. 10 Moneys in the fund are appropriated to the department for the 11 distribution of payment to residents for participation in the 12 raccoon bounty program and as provided in paragraph “b” . 13 b. Fifty cents is appropriated to the department from the 14 raccoon bounty fund for each raccoon tail relinquished to 15 the department through the raccoon bounty program. Moneys 16 appropriated under this paragraph shall be used for the purpose 17 of recovering costs associated with administering the raccoon 18 bounty program. 19 c. Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys in the raccoon 20 bounty fund that remain unencumbered or unobligated at the 21 close of a fiscal year shall not revert but shall remain 22 available for expenditure for the purposes designated. 23 Notwithstanding section 12C.7, subsection 2, interest or 24 earnings on moneys in the raccoon bounty fund shall be credited 25 to the fund. 26 3. A resident with a fur harvester license may only receive 27 a bounty for a raccoon taken during the raccoon trapping 28 season established by the commission by rule. A resident 29 participating in the raccoon trapping season must check set 30 traps every twenty-four hours. 31 4. a. A resident may relinquish to the department, as 32 provided in subsection 5, the whole tail of a raccoon taken 33 during the raccoon trapping season. The department shall pay a 34 resident five dollars for each whole raccoon tail the resident 35 -1- LSB 6272YC (2) 90 lh/js 1/ 5

H.F. _____ relinquishes to the department, provided moneys are available 1 in the fund. 2 b. A person issued a fur dealer license valid at any time 3 during a raccoon trapping season and associated raccoon bounty 4 program is prohibited from participating in the raccoon bounty 5 program. 6 5. a. The department shall establish a monthly raccoon tail 7 pickup event in each county during each month of the raccoon 8 trapping season and for one month after the season concludes. 9 The department shall publish on the website of the department 10 the date and location of the pickup events at the beginning 11 of the raccoon trapping season and the available moneys in 12 the raccoon bounty fund to be updated by the department each 13 week of a raccoon season and for one month after the season 14 concludes. A resident shall relinquish raccoon tails for 15 purposes of the raccoon bounty program in the county in which 16 the resident resides. 17 b. The commission shall adopt rules for the raccoon bounty 18 program including but not limited to determining details for 19 monthly raccoon tail pickup events, counting raccoon tails 20 received, and monitoring and controlling relinquished raccoon 21 tails. 22 c. The department or a representative of the department 23 shall accept raccoon tails from a resident and issue to the 24 resident a voucher for each raccoon tail relinquished. 25 d. The department shall accept vouchers and issue a check in 26 the amount of five dollars for each raccoon tail relinquished 27 at the pickup event to the voucher recipient. 28 6. a. A person who relinquishes or attempts to relinquish 29 to the department for payment a raccoon tail that was not 30 taken in this state, was already brought to the department for 31 payment, or was taken outside of the current raccoon trapping 32 season is guilty of a simple misdemeanor. 33 b. In addition, a violation of this section is subject 34 to administrative penalties imposed by the department, which 35 -2- LSB 6272YC (2) 90 lh/js 2/ 5

H.F. _____ may include license revocation and suspension of trapping 1 privileges for up to two years and a civil penalty of not 2 more than two hundred fifty dollars per offense. Any civil 3 penalty collected under this paragraph shall be deposited in 4 the raccoon bounty fund established in subsection 2. 5 7. The department shall monitor trapping data to ensure 6 excessive harvesting does not occur and to investigate 7 potential fraud. 8 Sec. 2. Section 481A.95, subsection 1, Code 2024, is amended 9 to read as follows: 10 1. A license shall be required of each fur dealer and each 11 employee, agent, or representative of a fur dealer except when 12 the employee, agent, or representative is operating solely on 13 the premises of a licensed fur dealer. A fur dealer shall 14 conduct business only at the location specified on the dealer’s 15 license, at an established fur auction, at the nonadvertised 16 residence of a licensed fur harvester, at a raccoon tail pickup 17 event as described in section 481A.88, or at the place of 18 business located in the state specified on the license of any 19 fur dealer. A nonresident licensed fur dealer may purchase 20 location permits to operate at locations other than at the 21 location specified on the fur dealer’s license. A resident 22 licensed fur dealer may obtain location permits without fee. 23 Each location permit shall be valid only for the one location 24 specified on the location permit and shall entitle the fur 25 dealer and employee, agent, or representative of the licensed 26 fur dealer to operate at that location. The commission shall, 27 upon application and the payment of the required license fee, 28 if any, furnish the proper license and location permits to the 29 dealer. 30 Sec. 3. Section 481A.95, subsection 2, Code 2024, is amended 31 by striking the subsection and inserting in lieu thereof the 32 following: 33 2. Fees for a license issued under this section shall 34 be no more than fifty dollars annually for a resident or a 35 -3- LSB 6272YC (2) 90 lh/js 3/ 5

H.F. _____ nonresident fur dealer. 1 EXPLANATION 2 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 3 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 4 This bill relates to fur-bearing animals, including the 5 establishment of a raccoon bounty program (program) and fund 6 and the assessment of fur dealer license fees. The bill 7 directs the department of natural resources (DNR) to establish 8 and administer the program, which shall operate during the 9 raccoon trapping season established by the natural resource 10 commission (NRC) by rule. Current NRC rules set the raccoon 11 trapping season as 8 a.m. on the first Saturday in November 12 through February 28 of the succeeding year. 13 The bill establishes a raccoon bounty fund in the state 14 treasury under the control of DNR. The raccoon bounty fund 15 shall consist of moneys deposited in the raccoon bounty fund, 16 including moneys collected from the civil penalties assessed 17 under the bill and gifts and donations received for the 18 raccoon bounty fund. Moneys in the raccoon bounty fund are 19 appropriated to DNR to pay participants in the program and to 20 administer the program. 21 The bill requires trappers to check set traps every 24 22 hours. The bill authorizes a resident with a valid fur 23 harvester license to relinquish to DNR the whole tail of a 24 raccoon taken during the raccoon trapping season. A resident 25 shall receive $5 from DNR for each whole raccoon tail the 26 resident relinquishes to DNR at a monthly pickup event held in 27 every county. DNR is appropriated 50 cents for each raccoon 28 tail relinquished at the monthly pickup event. The bill 29 requires NRC to adopt rules for the program and determine the 30 details for monthly pickup events for raccoon tails. The bill 31 prohibits a person with a fur dealer license from participating 32 in the program. 33 A person who relinquishes or attempts to relinquish a 34 raccoon tail that was not taken in this state, was already 35 -4- LSB 6272YC (2) 90 lh/js 4/ 5

H.F. _____ relinquished to the department, or was taken outside of the 1 raccoon trapping season is guilty of a simple misdemeanor. A 2 simple misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for no more 3 than 30 days and a fine of at least $105 but not more than $855. 4 DNR shall assess penalties for violations, which may include 5 license revocation, suspension of trapping privileges for up 6 to two years, and a civil penalty of not more than $250 per 7 offense. The department shall gather trapping data to ensure 8 trappers are not excessively harvesting raccoons or committing 9 fraud. 10 A person who unlawfully takes a raccoon is also liable 11 for damages in the amount of $200 for each raccoon taken as 12 provided in Code section 481A.130. A person who unlawfully 13 takes a raccoon may also be subject to a criminal scheduled 14 fine of $75 as provided in Code section 805.8B. All unlawfully 15 taken raccoons shall be seized by the director of DNR or any 16 peace officer and relinquished to a representative of NRC. 17 The bill includes a raccoon tail pickup event as a location 18 for a fur dealer to conduct business. Under the bill, a 19 fur dealer does not need to purchase a location permit to 20 operate at a raccoon tail pickup event. Further, a resident 21 or nonresident fur dealer does not have to pay a fee to obtain 22 a location permit. 23 The bill also creates a maximum fur dealer license fee 24 of $50, regardless of resident status. Current law allows 25 residents from another state to purchase a fur dealer’s license 26 for a set fee unless that state has reciprocity with Iowa, in 27 which case the nonresident shall pay the reciprocity fee amount 28 that is less than the nonresident license fee but more than the 29 Iowa resident license fee. 30 -5- LSB 6272YC (2) 90 lh/js 5/ 5