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Final Report : April MAWC successful in fighting new DNR regulations in 2008! |
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Legislative/Regulatory Update Beware of a legislative session that starts off with a whimper (as reported last month)! To date, 2,256 bills have been introduced in the Senate and the House of Delegates as compared to 2007 when 1,483 bills were introduced and 2006 when 1,759 were introduced. Below are some bills of interest: HB 134, Vehicle Laws – Transporting Pets in Trucks or Trailers, would prohibit a person from transporting a pet in or on a truck or trailer on a highway unless the truck or trailer is enclosed on the sides and the top in a manner that safely prevents the pet from falling, jumping, or otherwise exiting the truck or trailer or unless the pet is confined by a device designed to safely prevent the pet from falling, jumping, or otherwise exiting the truck or trailer. For purposes of this bill, “pet” means a domesticated animal and excludes livestock as defined in the Agriculture Article; etc. What’s quirky about this bill is that “people” over the age of 16 are allowed by state law to ride in the back of an open truck. As one senator said, “This means I’ll have to put my dog in the truck cab with me and my wife in the back!” This bill has been introduced twice in the last few years but has died in committee. The bill had a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on February 7. HB 655, Natural Resources – Hunting Licenses – Minimum Age, prohibits anyone under the age of 13 from getting a hunting license. This bill has been assigned to the Environmental Matters Committee where it will have a hearing on February 27. HB 834, Consumer Protection – Fur Labeling Requirements for Articles of Clothing. This bill requires that any clothing with any type of real fur be labeled as such. Apparently, China is exporting some raccoon-dog articles and claiming it is fake fur. HB 938, Montgomery County – Deer Hunting on Private Lands – Effective Date. This bill, introduced by the Montgomery County Delegation, lifts the sunset provision. In other words, Sunday deer hunting will continue indefinitely in Montgomery County. The bill is assigned to the Environmental Matters Committee. _______________________________________________________ The Department of Natural Resources held its bi-annual stakeholders’ meeting on Friday, February 8. Most attendees represent gun hunting groups but trappers, animal rights advocates, and MAWC are also represented. The meeting format is such that DNR personnel brief attendees on DNR’s programs and efforts and then the meeting is opened up to attendees’ questions, comments and suggestions. As you can imagine, these cover a wide range of opinions, a few of which follow:
DNR will be issuing its deer harvest numbers in a press release in the next couple of weeks. They also reported that hunting license sales have been declining steadily for years. |