Senate File 397

                                       SENATE FILE       
                                       BY  COMMITTEE ON NATURAL
                                           RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT

                                       (SUCCESSOR TO SF 40)


    Passed Senate, Date               Passed House,  Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to the issuance of hunting licenses for
  2    antlerless deer, providing for the disposition of harvested
  3    deer meat to public institutions, requiring a report, and
  4    providing a penalty.
  5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  6 SF 397
  7 av/cc/26

PAG LIN

  1  1    Section 1.  Section 483A.8, Code 2003, is amended by adding
  1  2 the following new subsection:
  1  3    NEW SUBSECTION.  6.  The commission shall provide, by rule,
  1  4 for the issuance to a nonresident, of a nonresident antlerless
  1  5 deer hunting license that is valid for use only during the
  1  6 period beginning on December 24, 2003, and ending at sunset on
  1  7 January 2, 2004, and costs fifty dollars.  A nonresident
  1  8 hunting deer with a license issued under this subsection shall
  1  9 be otherwise qualified to hunt deer in this state and shall
  1 10 have a nonresident hunting license and pay the wildlife
  1 11 habitat fee.  Pursuant to this subsection, the commission
  1 12 shall make available for issuance only the remaining
  1 13 nonresident antlerless deer hunting licenses allocated under
  1 14 subsection 3 that have not yet been issued for the 2003=2004
  1 15 antlerless deer hunting seasons.
  1 16    Sec. 2.  NEW SECTION.  483A.24A  HARVESTED DEER.
  1 17    1.  INTENT.  It is the intent of the general assembly in
  1 18 enacting this section, to express its concern to the natural
  1 19 resource commission about the burgeoning deer population in
  1 20 this state, by requiring the natural resource commission to
  1 21 make additional antlerless deer hunting licenses available to
  1 22 encourage hunters in this state to assist the commission in
  1 23 bringing the state's deer population under control.
  1 24    2.  DEFINITIONS.  As used in this section:
  1 25    a.  "Department of corrections" means the Iowa department
  1 26 of corrections.
  1 27    b.  "Establishment" means an establishment as defined in
  1 28 section 189A.2 where animals or poultry are prepared for food
  1 29 purposes or where wild deer may be processed or dressed for
  1 30 human consumption.
  1 31    c.  "Public institution" means a state institution listed
  1 32 under section 904.102, subsections 1 through 10, that is
  1 33 administered by the department of corrections.
  1 34    3.  The natural resource commission shall provide, by rule,
  1 35 for the distribution of antlerless deer hunting licenses,
  2  1 annually to resident hunters and to applicants qualified under
  2  2 section 483A.24.  The licenses shall be in addition to deer
  2  3 hunting licenses otherwise allocated in this chapter to
  2  4 resident hunters and applicants qualified under section
  2  5 483A.24 and shall be equivalent to the least restrictive
  2  6 license issued pursuant to section 481A.38.  Pursuant to this
  2  7 section, the department shall make available for issuance at
  2  8 least an additional eighteen thousand antlerless deer hunting
  2  9 licenses for resident hunters for 2003=2004 antlerless deer
  2 10 hunting seasons than were available for the 2002=2003
  2 11 antlerless deer hunting seasons.
  2 12    4.  A resident hunter or an applicant qualified under
  2 13 section 483A.24, who receives an antlerless deer hunting
  2 14 license under this section may deliver the deer harvested with
  2 15 the license to an establishment designated by the department
  2 16 of corrections for processing, packaging, and delivery to
  2 17 locations designated by the department of corrections.  Each
  2 18 antlerless deer hunting license issued under this section
  2 19 shall be accompanied by a list of establishments that will
  2 20 accept deer harvested with the license.
  2 21    5.  Each resident hunter or applicant qualified under
  2 22 section 483A.24 shall be otherwise qualified to hunt deer in
  2 23 this state.  A wildlife habitat fee shall not be required.
  2 24 The commission shall establish, by rules adopted pursuant to
  2 25 chapter 17A, the procedures for allocating the antlerless deer
  2 26 hunting licenses.
  2 27    6.  The department of corrections, may, in cooperation with
  2 28 the commission, contract with one or more establishments to
  2 29 receive, process, package, and deliver the harvested deer meat
  2 30 to the public institutions in the manner specified by the
  2 31 department of corrections and at a cost to the department of
  2 32 corrections that is competitive with the cost of obtaining
  2 33 similar meat products in the private sector.
  2 34    7.  A person violating a provision of this section or a
  2 35 rule adopted pursuant to this section is guilty of a simple
  3  1 misdemeanor punishable as a scheduled violation as provided in
  3  2 section 483A.42.
  3  3    Sec. 3.  REPORT.  The natural resource commission, in
  3  4 consultation with the department of corrections, shall
  3  5 evaluate the results of the deer harvesting program created in
  3  6 section 483A.24A, and shall make recommendations suggesting
  3  7 improvements to the program and whether the program should be
  3  8 expanded to allow receipt of harvested deer meat by other
  3  9 governmental agencies and nonprofit entities.  The natural
  3 10 resource commission and the department of corrections shall
  3 11 file a joint report containing their findings and
  3 12 recommendations with the legislative service bureau by
  3 13 February 1, 2004, for distribution to the general assembly.
  3 14 SF 397
  3 15 av/cc/26