Senate File 367 - Reprinted



                                       SENATE FILE       
                                       BY  COMMITTEE ON NATURAL
                                           RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT

                                       (SUCCESSOR TO SSB 1233)


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

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to various conservation and recreation activities
  2    under the purview of the department of natural resources,
  3    modifying fees, and making penalties applicable.
  4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  5 TLSB 1616SV 81
  6 av/gg/14

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 455A.4, subsection 1, paragraph j, Code
  1  2 2005, is amended by striking the paragraph.
  1  3    Sec. 2.  Section 456A.37, subsection 1, paragraph c, Code
  1  4 2005, is amended to read as follows:
  1  5    c.  "Aquatic invasive species" means a species that is not
  1  6 native to an ecosystem and whose introduction causes or is
  1  7 likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to
  1  8 human health including but not limited to habitat alteration
  1  9 and degradation, and loss of biodiversity.  For the purposes
  1 10 of this section, "aquatic invasive species" are limited to
  1 11 Eurasian water milfoil, purple loosestrife, and zebra mussels,
  1 12 except as provided in subsection 4 and those species
  1 13 identified as "aquatic invasive species" by the commission by
  1 14 rule.
  1 15    Sec. 3.  Section 456A.37, subsection 4, unnumbered
  1 16 paragraph 2, Code 2005, is amended to read as follows:
  1 17    c.  If the commission determines that an additional species
  1 18 should be defined as an "aquatic invasive species", the
  1 19 species may shall be defined by the commission by rule as an
  1 20 "aquatic invasive species" subject to enactment of the
  1 21 definition by the general assembly at the next regular session
  1 22 of the general assembly.  Failure of the general assembly to
  1 23 enact the definition pursuant to this paragraph constitutes a
  1 24 nullification of the definition effective upon adjournment of
  1 25 that next regular session of the general assembly.
  1 26    Sec. 4.  Section 461A.25, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code
  1 27 2005, is amended to read as follows:
  1 28    The commission may recommend that the executive council
  1 29 lease property under the commission's jurisdiction.  All
  1 30 leases shall reserve to the public of the state the right to
  1 31 enter upon the property leased for any lawful purpose.  The
  1 32 council may, if it approves the recommendation and the If a
  1 33 lease is to be entered into is for a period of five years or
  1 34 less, the director, upon approval by the commission, shall
  1 35 execute the lease in on behalf of the state and commission.
  2  1 If the recommendation is for a lease is to be entered into for
  2  2 a period in excess of five years, with the exception of
  2  3 agricultural lands specifically dealt with in Article I,
  2  4 section 24, of the Constitution of the State of Iowa, the
  2  5 council commission shall advertise for bids.  If a bid is
  2  6 accepted, the lease shall be let or executed by the council in
  2  7 accordance with the most desirable bid.  The commission may
  2  8 accept bids and approve leases that the commission determines
  2  9 are in the best interests of the state.  A lease shall not be
  2 10 executed for a term longer than fifty years.  Any such
  2 11 leasehold interest, including any improvements placed on it,
  2 12 shall be listed on the tax rolls as provided in chapters 428
  2 13 and 443; assessed and valued as provided in chapter 441; taxes
  2 14 shall be levied on it as provided in chapter 444 and collected
  2 15 as provided in chapter 445; and the leasehold interest is
  2 16 subject to tax sale, redemption, and apportionment of taxes as
  2 17 provided in chapters 446, 447 and 448.  The lessee shall
  2 18 discharge and pay all taxes.
  2 19    Sec. 5.  Section 462A.2, Code 2005, is amended by adding
  2 20 the following new subsections:
  2 21    NEW SUBSECTION.  8A.  "Cut=off switch" means an operable
  2 22 factory=installed or dealer=installed emergency cut=off engine
  2 23 stop switch that is installed on a personal watercraft.
  2 24    NEW SUBSECTION.  8B.  "Cut=off switch lanyard" means the
  2 25 cord used to attach the person of the operator of a personal
  2 26 watercraft to the cut=off switch.
  2 27    Sec. 6.  Section 462A.7, subsections 1 and 2, Code 2005,
  2 28 are amended to read as follows:
  2 29    1.  The operator of a vessel involved in a collision,
  2 30 accident or other casualty an occurrence that results in
  2 31 personal property damage or that results in the injury or
  2 32 death of a person shall, so far as possible without serious
  2 33 danger to the operator's own vessel, crew or passengers,
  2 34 render to other persons affected by the collision, accident or
  2 35 casualty occurrence, such assistance as may be practicable and
  3  1 necessary to save them from or minimize any danger caused by
  3  2 the collision, accident or other casualty occurrence.  The
  3  3 operator shall also give the operator's name, address, and
  3  4 identification of the operator's vessel in writing to any
  3  5 person injured and to the owner of any property damaged in the
  3  6 collision, accident or other casualty occurrence.
  3  7    2.  Whenever any vessel is involved in a collision,
  3  8 accident or casualty an occurrence that results in personal
  3  9 property damage or that results in the injury or death of a
  3 10 person, except one which results only in property damage not
  3 11 exceeding five hundred two thousand dollars, a report thereof
  3 12 shall be filed with the commission.  The report shall be filed
  3 13 by the operator of the vessel and shall contain such
  3 14 information as the commission may, by rule, require.  The
  3 15 report shall be submitted without delay within forty=eight
  3 16 hours of the occurrence in death or disappearance cases and in
  3 17 occurrences that result in personal injuries requiring more
  3 18 than first aid treatment, and within five days of the
  3 19 occurrence in all other cases.
  3 20    Sec. 7.  Section 462A.9, Code 2005, is amended by adding
  3 21 the following new subsection:
  3 22    NEW SUBSECTION.  12A.  An owner of a personal watercraft
  3 23 equipped with a cut=off switch shall maintain the cut=off
  3 24 switch and the accompanying cut=off switch lanyard in an
  3 25 operable, fully functional condition.
  3 26    Sec. 8.  Section 462A.12, Code 2005, is amended by adding
  3 27 the following new subsections:
  3 28    NEW SUBSECTION.  14.  A person shall not operate a personal
  3 29 watercraft that is equipped with a cut=off switch, at any
  3 30 time, without first attaching the accompanying cut=off switch
  3 31 lanyard to the operator's person while the engine is running
  3 32 and the personal watercraft is in use.
  3 33    NEW SUBSECTION.  15.  A person shall not operate a vessel
  3 34 on the waters of this state unless every person on board the
  3 35 vessel who is under thirteen years of age is wearing a type I,
  4  1 II, III, or V personal flotation device that is approved by
  4  2 the United States coast guard, while the vessel is under way.
  4  3 This subsection does not apply to a person who is under
  4  4 thirteen years of age and is in an enclosed cabin or below
  4  5 deck.
  4  6    Sec. 9.  Section 481A.55, subsection 1, Code 2005, is
  4  7 amended to read as follows:
  4  8    1.  Except as otherwise provided, a person shall not buy or
  4  9 sell, dead or alive, a bird or animal or any part of one which
  4 10 is protected by this chapter, but this section does not apply
  4 11 to fur=bearing animals, bones of wild turkeys that were
  4 12 legally taken, and the skins, plumage, and antlers of legally
  4 13 taken game.  This section does not prohibit the purchase of
  4 14 jackrabbits from sources outside this state. A person shall
  4 15 not purchase, sell, barter, or offer to purchase, sell, or
  4 16 barter for millinery or ornamental use the feathers of
  4 17 migratory game birds; and a person shall not purchase, sell,
  4 18 barter, or offer to purchase, sell, or barter mounted
  4 19 specimens of migratory game birds.
  4 20    Sec. 10.  Section 481A.123, Code 2005, is amended by adding
  4 21 the following new subsection:
  4 22    NEW SUBSECTION.  5.  This section does not apply to the
  4 23 discharge of a firearm on a farm unit by the owner or tenant
  4 24 of the farm unit or by a family member of the owner or tenant
  4 25 of the farm unit.
  4 26    As used in this subsection, "family member", "farm unit",
  4 27 "owner", and "tenant" mean the same as defined in section
  4 28 483A.24, subsection 2.
  4 29    Sec. 11.  Section 481A.130, subsection 1, paragraph g, Code
  4 30 2005, is amended to read as follows:
  4 31    g.  For each antlered deer, reimbursement shall be based on
  4 32 the point score of the antlered deer as measured by the Boone
  4 33 and Crockett club's net scoring system for whitetail deer as
  4 34 follows:
  4 35    (1)  150 gross points or less:  A minimum of two thousand
  5  1 dollars and not more than five thousand dollars, and eighty
  5  2 hours of community service or, in lieu of the community
  5  3 service, a minimum of four thousand dollars and not more than
  5  4 ten thousand dollars, in an amount that is deemed reasonable
  5  5 by the court.
  5  6    (2)  More than 150 gross points:  A minimum of five
  5  7 thousand dollars and not more than ten thousand dollars, and
  5  8 eighty hours of community service or, in lieu of the community
  5  9 service, a minimum of ten thousand dollars and not more than
  5 10 twenty thousand dollars, in an amount that is deemed
  5 11 reasonable by the court.
  5 12    Sec. 12.  Section 481A.133, Code 2005, is amended to read
  5 13 as follows:
  5 14    481A.133  SUSPENSION OF LICENSES, CERTIFICATES, AND
  5 15 PERMITS.
  5 16    A person who is assessed damages pursuant to section
  5 17 481A.130 shall immediately surrender all licenses,
  5 18 certificates, and permits to hunt, fish, or trap in the state
  5 19 to the department.  The licenses, permits, and certificates,
  5 20 and the privileges associated with them shall remain suspended
  5 21 until the assessed damages and any accrued interest are paid
  5 22 or a payment schedule is established by the court in full.
  5 23 Upon payment of the assessed damages and any accrued interest,
  5 24 the suspension shall be lifted.  If a payment schedule is
  5 25 established, the suspension shall be lifted and remain so
  5 26 unless the person fails to make a payment pursuant to that
  5 27 schedule.  Failure to make a payment shall cause the
  5 28 suspension to be renewed.  Interest shall begin to accrue as
  5 29 of the date of judgment at a rate of ten percent per year.
  5 30    Sec. 13.  Section 483A.27, subsections 1 and 7, Code 2005,
  5 31 are amended to read as follows:
  5 32    1.  A person born after January 1, 1967 1972, shall not
  5 33 obtain a hunting license unless the person has satisfactorily
  5 34 completed a hunter safety and ethics education course approved
  5 35 by the commission.  A person who is eleven years of age or
  6  1 more may enroll in an approved hunter safety and ethics
  6  2 education course, but a person who is eleven years of age and
  6  3 who has successfully completed the course shall be issued a
  6  4 certificate of completion which becomes valid on the person's
  6  5 twelfth birthday.  A certificate of completion from an
  6  6 approved hunter safety and ethics education course issued in
  6  7 this state since 1960, by another state, or by a foreign
  6  8 nation, is valid for the requirements of this section.
  6  9    7.  A hunting license obtained under this section by a
  6 10 person who gave false information or presented a fraudulent
  6 11 certificate of completion shall be revoked and a new hunting
  6 12 license shall not be issued for at least two years from the
  6 13 date of conviction.  A hunting license obtained by a person
  6 14 who was born after January 1, 1967 1972, but has not
  6 15 satisfactorily completed the hunter safety and ethics
  6 16 education course or has not met the requirements established
  6 17 by the commission, shall be revoked.
  6 18                           EXPLANATION
  6 19    This bill contains provisions relating to the regulation of
  6 20 various conservation and recreation activities under the
  6 21 purview of the department of natural resources.
  6 22    Code section 455A.4 is amended by striking the provision
  6 23 that requires the department of natural resources to submit a
  6 24 report every five years to the natural resource commission
  6 25 that includes information concerning the classification of the
  6 26 state's parks, recreation areas, and preserves and any
  6 27 recommendations for reclassification; methods for maintaining
  6 28 the diversity of animal and plant life in state parks,
  6 29 recreation areas, and preserves; options to achieve controlled
  6 30 deer hunting in order to prevent overpopulation of deer; and
  6 31 prevention of economic damage to private property which is
  6 32 located adjacent to state parks, recreation areas, and
  6 33 preserves.
  6 34    Code section 456A.37 is amended to identify and define
  6 35 additional species as "aquatic invasive species" by rule
  7  1 without the subsequent codification of the definitions by the
  7  2 general assembly at the next regular session.
  7  3    Code section 461A.25 is amended by allowing the director of
  7  4 the department of natural resources to execute leases of
  7  5 property under the natural resource commission's jurisdiction
  7  6 for periods of five years or less, with the approval of the
  7  7 commission.  The bill also provides that for leases of such
  7  8 property in excess of five years the commission shall
  7  9 advertise and may accept bids and approve leases that the
  7 10 commission determines are in the best interests of the state.
  7 11    Code section 462A.2 is amended to define a "cut=off switch"
  7 12 as an operable factory=installed or dealer=installed emergency
  7 13 cut=off engine stop switch that is installed on a personal
  7 14 watercraft and to define a "cut=off switch lanyard" as the
  7 15 cord used to attach the person of the operator of a personal
  7 16 watercraft to the cut=off switch.
  7 17    Code section 462A.7 is amended to provide that the owner of
  7 18 a vessel shall give assistance, so far as possible, and
  7 19 provide the vessel operator's name, address, and vessel
  7 20 identification to any person who is injured or whose property
  7 21 is damaged when the operator's vessel is involved in an
  7 22 occurrence that results in personal property damage or that
  7 23 results in the injury or death of a person.  Code section
  7 24 462A.7 is also amended to provide that when any vessel is
  7 25 involved in such an occurrence, except one which results only
  7 26 in property damage not exceeding $2,000, a report must be
  7 27 filed with the natural resource commission by the operator of
  7 28 the vessel involved.  Previously, a report had to be filed
  7 29 when the property damage exceeded $500.  The report must be
  7 30 filed within 48 hours of the occurrence when a person dies or
  7 31 disappears or when a person suffers an injury requiring more
  7 32 than first aid treatment.  In all other cases, the report must
  7 33 be filed within five days of the occurrence.
  7 34    Code section 462A.9 is amended to provide that the owner of
  7 35 a personal watercraft equipped with a cut=off switch must
  8  1 maintain the cut=off switch and the accompanying cut=off
  8  2 switch lanyard in an operable, fully functional condition.  A
  8  3 violation of this new provision is punishable by a scheduled
  8  4 fine of $20 under Code section 805.8B.
  8  5    Code section 462A.12 is amended to prohibit a person from
  8  6 operating a personal watercraft that is equipped with a cut=
  8  7 off switch, at any time, without first attaching the
  8  8 accompanying cut=off switch lanyard to the operator's person
  8  9 while the engine is running and the personal watercraft is in
  8 10 use.  A violation of this provision is punishable by a
  8 11 scheduled fine of $25.
  8 12    Code section 462A.12 is amended to prohibit a person from
  8 13 operating a vessel on the waters of this state unless every
  8 14 person on board the vessel who is under 13 years of age is
  8 15 wearing a type I, II, III, or V personal flotation device that
  8 16 is approved by the United States coast guard, while the vessel
  8 17 is under way.  This provision does not apply to a person under
  8 18 13 years of age who is in an enclosed cabin or below deck.  A
  8 19 violation of this provision is punishable by a scheduled fine
  8 20 of $25.
  8 21    Code section 481A.55 is amended to allow a person to buy or
  8 22 sell the bones of wild turkeys that were legally taken.  A
  8 23 violation of this provision is punishable by a scheduled fine
  8 24 of $50.
  8 25    Code section 481A.130 is amended to specify that damages
  8 26 for illegally taking an antlered deer are based on the Boone
  8 27 and Crockett club scoring system of gross points for whitetail
  8 28 deer.
  8 29    Code section 481A.133 is amended to provide that when a
  8 30 person is assessed damages for unlawfully selling, taking,
  8 31 catching, killing, injuring, destroying, or possessing an
  8 32 animal, the person's licenses, certificates, and permits are
  8 33 suspended until payment in full of the assessed damages and
  8 34 accrued interest.  The bill removes the option that allowed a
  8 35 person to pay damages pursuant to a payment schedule.  The
  9  1 bill also specifies that interest begins to accrue as of the
  9  2 date of judgment at a rate of 10 percent per year.
  9  3    Code section 483A.27 is amended to provide that a person
  9  4 born after January 1, 1972, instead of January 1, 1967, must
  9  5 complete a hunter safety and ethics education course before
  9  6 obtaining a hunting license and that a hunting license
  9  7 obtained by a such a person who has not completed the required
  9  8 course shall be revoked.  A violation of these provisions is
  9  9 punishable by a scheduled fine of $20.
  9 10 LSB 1616SV 81
  9 11 av:nh/gg/14