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SF581 IT AIN'T DEAD YET

Passed the sub 2-1. They even changed the time of the meeting from 5:00pm to 3:30pm. I heard about it 3:25pm so I was unable to watch.
 
Yesterday, 3/14, the House Ways and Means Committee set the date of their next full committee meeting. On the agenda for that meeting is SF 581. The date of the meeting is 3/15, that is/was today. The legislature provides a system to track bills by subscribing to them and receiving an email when meetings are scheduled. At 9:49 this morning I received the email notifying me of the 10:00 meeting. I don't know if the bill was discussed and voted on or not. I looked at the lobbyist declarations. Both the Iowa Farm Bureau and the Iowa Firearms Coalition are registered as for. That would explain why this bill has so many lives.

EDIT: Just saw that it passed the full committee along party lines 14-10. Next step is House debate calendar.
 
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Dangit...what did I miss??

Just a power play. Or as we used to call it in EMS, an HDPF (Heavy Duty Power F***).

This is a Ways and Means bill, a type of bill with which I am woefully unfamiliar. These bills, even though it has everything to do with wildlife conservation and nothing to do with money, except of course the fines for shooting a doe, have different rules. They are funnel proof, so they are good for the entire session, and they have their own calendar. The bill already passed the committee and is now on the "Ways and Means Calendar" whatever that is. If I can figure it out, I'll post it up. Even though this is a Senate file, don't do like I did and write to the folks on the House subcommittee and call them Senators. Not a good thing. And I even knew better. Please contact your Representative and remind them this bill should be about conservation, not insurance rates or gun rights.
 
There is an amendment being drafted that would restore the fines for poaching deer, lower the cost of depredation tags and make a .240 the minimum cartridge for late antlerless season.

I don't know if this amendment will ever be proposed because it's been rumored for a while. Just thought I'd let everyone know this bill is not dead yet.

Any bets? In my opinion, if this amendment, particularly the .240 part, gets adopted and the bill passes, with in two years the .240 will be the minimum cartridge for gun hunting in Iowa. Maybe we could convince a sports book to make that a wager and somehow get part of their profits to go to fish stocking in Iowa cause deer hunting might go to crap. OK, that was a joke. But seriously, put and take fish, is that sustainable? Imagine how crowded the ice would be with all the displaced deer hunters.
 
This needs to be stopped!!!!!!!!!
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This bill popped up on today's (4/5/22) Daily Debate Calendar in the House. Doesn't mean it will get voted on today but is sure could. I have yet to see the fabled amendment.
 
Amendments today.

H8345 corrects dates from 2021 to 2022 and ads lifetime trout fishing license for disabled vets with stipulations. The amendment also changes the title from "An act relating to deer population management" to " An act relating to fishing and hunting licenses and permits".

<H8345 to SF 581>

H8343 makes it illegal to shoot from within or on a motor vehicle while in pursuit of game and restates this does not apply to hunters with physical disabilities (that's the way I read it anyway) and this amendment makes the date changes as well. The amendment also changes the title from ". Part of the amendment would also change the title to "An act relating to hunting and management and making penalties applicable".

<H8343 to SF 581>

H8335 would do a couple of things. It would set aside 50 non-resident tags to non-resident veterans who have reservation with a nonprofit organization that does guided hunts for veterans. The second section reads to me like the NRC can determine every year how many nonresident antlerless only tags can be sold after the original 6K antlered/either sex tags are sold. If I read this one right this is a return to the old "temptation tags" that were done away with several years ago.

<H8335 to SF 581>

The House did not take action on SF 581 today, 4/5.
 
Another amendment was filed late last night. I believe this is the one that has been rumored for a while.

Amendment 8346 would raise the proposed fine for shooting a doe from the $500 in the original bill to $750. It would raise the proposed $2.00 depredation tag in the original bill to $5.00. The next section still includes the late antlerless season in counties with left over quota tags that go on sale after late muzzle loader season. The amendment changes language regarding method of take. The verbiage includes bows, shotguns, muzzle loaders, handguns and in counties authorized by the commission centerfire rifles of .240 may be used in the January antlerless only season. The last section addresses the population study, I can't see any real difference between the amendment and what is in the bill already. The study is still to be paid from the fish and wildlife protection fund. I think the legislature should come up with the funding from the general fund.

<H8346 to SB 581>
 
Well, SF 581 passed today 97-0. There were amendments to amendments, one amendment was withdrawn and another one or two added. Instead of me trying to figure it all out I'm going to wait and see what it looks like when it is reprinted with the amendments in the bill. Hopefully that will be tomorrow morning. Suffice it to say .240s and bigger will be going BANG in January, but it looks like the NRC gets to set the areas where they are allowed. We'll see.

Next step is the bill goes back to the Senate where I think three things can happen. #1: They don't put the bill on their calendar to be voted on, which will never happen. #2: They can accept all of the House amendments and approve the bill. #3: They reject some of the House amendments, then a committee is named of House and Senate members, and they come to an agreement on the bill, and I think it is voted on again in both chambers.

Here is a link to the bill, all the amendments are listed, you can click and try to follow but it is tough especially when there are so many.

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Average guy that stays asleep & doesn’t spend a bit of time writing in & getting word to others…. You’ll wake up when your hunting tanks. There’s no doubt average farms in average areas across the state are gonna get hammered next season. Then it’s too late. Folks- get on this. Hunters are gonna feel repercussions state wide after next season.
 
I told Rozenboom last year in an email if he runs again it would be the first and probably only time I would not vote for a republican. He's not just this way with conservation issues he's an ass on educational stuff as well.
 
Here is the link to the bill as passed by the Senate last year and all of the amendments that were passed along with it in the House yesterday. It is easier to follow than trying to look them up one by one. Item #8 is the one that outlines the late season. The only saving grace (if there is any with this bill) is the NRC sets the areas where big bang guns may be used.

<SF581 with amendments>

The name of the bill or soon to be law was changed from "An Act relating to deer population control" to "An Act relating to fishing and hunting licenses and permits" so the 50 NR veterans, I always thought it read disabled veterans, but it appears anyone who has served and has a reservation with a non-profit organization that hosts guided hunts for veterans can apply for any of the 50 tags. My altruism kicks in and I assume these will go to the disabled vets or vets in need and no untoward activity takes place. Also with the name change an amendment that made a life time trout stamp available for a person who qualifies for the disabled veteran homestead credit was passed.

Here is what I think this bill really does besides the obvious, it sets a precedence that conservation issues pertaining to hunting, fishing and probably trapping licensure and furure non-resident tag increases, non-resident landowner hunting and selected hunting and fishing regulations will be run through the Ways and Means Committee instead of the Senate Natural Recourses and Environment Committee or the House Natural Resources Committee.

As far as 97-0, yeah, that was kick to the jimmies, but if you look at it from a politician's point of view how could you vote against veterans, disabled veterans, disabled resident hunters, guns and the big one, the insurance industry? The bill's supporters wrapped this crap up in a box with wrapping paper festooned with election year slogans and a big red, white and blue bow. Done deal.

We'll see what the Senate does. I'm not holding my breath.
 
? The bill's supporters wrapped this crap up in a box with wrapping paper festooned with election year slogans and a big red, white and blue bow. Done deal.
Politics at it's best (or worst) - guess it depends on which side one is on.
Thanks again Bonker!
 
I emailed Rozenboom expressing my concerns even though it's futile at the moment.

Drew,

The reason I wrote the bill is because I believe the deer population in some parts of Iowa is out of control. Right now there are 40 deer carcasses visible from the road on Highway 163 between Oskaloosa and Des Moines. In Monroe and Appanoose counties, in my district, the problem is even worse.

The primary intent of the bill is to request a study on the environmental impact and economic impact of high deer populations. I want the DNR to do the study but I also want input from Iowa State Extension, the Iowa DOT, and the insurance institute. We all value the wonderful deer hunting in Iowa, but there is a cost to that. I want to know what that cost is.

You mention hunting with rifles. Please understand that, with that part of the bill, this refers to the special January season that is permitted only in those counties that have not harvested the DNR’s harvest target for that year. For example, the DNR harvest target for Appanoose county in 2021 was 2700 deer but only 2200 were taken. That left 500 deer more than even the DNR wanted. This season is not for hunting in the traditional sense but for population control, and the extra season does not compete with the traditional hunters.

There is more detail in the bill, but this explains the main parts of the bill.

Regards,
 
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