1999 Legislation
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HOUSE BILL NO. 67 – Big Game Depredation Acct/amt trans

HOUSE BILL NO. 67

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H0067........................................................by MR. SPEAKER
                 Requested by Department of Fish and Game
BIG GAME PRIMARY DEPREDATION ACCOUNT - Amends existing law to reduce the
amount of money transferred from the Fish and Game Account to the Big Game
Primary Depredation Account; to provide for a transfer from the General
Fund; and to provide that certain balances in the Big Game Primary
Depredation Account shall revert equally to the Fish and Game Account and
to the General Fund.

01/11    House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
01/11    Rpt prt - to Approp

Bill Text


H0067

                                                                        
 ||||              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ||||
Fifty-fifth Legislature                 First Regular Session - 1999
                                                                        

                             IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                                    HOUSE BILL NO. 67

                                      BY MR. SPEAKER
                        Requested by: Department of Fish and Game

 1                                        AN ACT
 2    RELATING TO FISH AND GAME; AMENDING SECTION 36-114, IDAHO CODE, TO REDUCE  THE
 3        AMOUNT OF MONEY TRANSFERRED FROM THE FISH AND GAME ACCOUNT TO THE BIG GAME
 4        PRIMARY  DEPREDATION  ACCOUNT,  TO PROVIDE FOR A TRANSFER FROM THE GENERAL
 5        FUND, AND TO PROVIDE THAT CERTAIN BALANCES IN THE BIG GAME PRIMARY  DEPRE-
 6        DATION  ACCOUNT  SHALL REVERT EQUALLY TO THE FISH AND GAME ACCOUNT AND THE
 7        GENERAL FUND.

 8    Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:

 9        SECTION 1.  That Section 36-114, Idaho Code, be, and the  same  is  hereby
10    amended to read as follows:

11        36-114.  BIG  GAME  PRIMARY  DEPREDATION ACCOUNT. (a) The big game primary
12    depredation account is hereby established in the state treasury. Moneys in the
13    account are subject to appropriation  for  the  purposes  recited  in  section
14    36-1108,  Idaho  Code.  Interest  earned  on  investment of idle moneys in the
15    account shall be paid to the fish and game account.
16        (b)  The state controller shall annually, as soon after  July  1  of  each
17    year as practical, transfer into the account  two   one 
18    hundred  thousand  dollars ($ 2  1 00,000) from the fish
19    and game account  and one hundred thousand dollars  ($100,000)  from  the
20    state  general  fund  .  Unexpended and unencumbered balances in the big
21    game primary depredation account  existing  on  June  30  shall  revert  
22    equally    to the fish and game account  and the state general fund
23    .
24        (c)  Moneys in the account may be appropriated only to:
25        1.  Honor payment agreements made pursuant to section 36-1108(a)3.,  Idaho
26        Code.
27        2.  Make  depredation  damages  payments  pursuant  to section 36-1108(b),
28        Idaho Code.
29        3.  Provide for reimbursement of expenses for members of the advisory com-
30        mittee established in section 36-122, Idaho Code.
31        (d)  Any payment for damages pursuant to section 36-1108(b),  Idaho  Code,
32    is limited by the following conditions and requirements:
33        1.  The  full amount of any approved claim will not be paid at the time of
34        approval, but shall be subject to the following  conditions  and  require-
35        ments:
36             (A)  The  director  may  order  not  more than one-third (1/3) of the
37             amount of the approved claim that is to be paid  from  the  big  game
38             primary  depredation account to be paid immediately, if, in the judg-
39             ment of the director, such payment  is  within  the  estimated  total
40             claims  liability for that fiscal year from the big game primary dep-
41             redation account.
42             (B)  The balance of all unpaid approved claim amounts shall be  accu-
43             mulated to a total as of June 30. If the balance in the big game pri-


                                          2

 1             mary  depredation  account  is  sufficient  to pay the balance of all
 2             approved claims, the director shall promptly pay them. If the balance
 3             is not sufficient to pay the balance  of  all  approved  claims,  the
 4             director shall pay a proportionate share to each claimant.
 5             (C)  The  director  shall  encumber  the balance of the moneys in the
 6             account, or moneys sufficient to pay the approved  claims,  whichever
 7             is the lesser.
 8        2.  Each  claimant  must submit a statement of total damages sustained per
 9        occurrence. For each such statement, the following conditions and require-
10        ments apply:
11             (A)  The amount of one thousand dollars  ($1,000)  must  be  deducted
12             from  each such statement. This deductible is a net loss to the owner
13             or lessee, and will not  be compensated for from either the big  game
14             primary  depredation  account  or  the big game secondary depredation
15             account.
16             (B)  The total amount that may be paid from the big game primary dep-
17             redation account shall not exceed nine thousand dollars ($9,000)  per
18             approved claim.
19             (C)  Approved claims that exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000) total
20             (one  thousand  dollars ($1,000) deductible and nine thousand dollars
21             ($9,000) payment from the big game primary depredation account) shall
22             be processed under the provisions of section 36-115, Idaho Code.
23             (D)  Approved claims of any amount that involve damage to  livestock,
24             berries  or  honey  by black bear or mountain lion shall be processed
25             under the provisions of section 36-115, Idaho Code.
26             (E)  Approved claims of any amount that involve damage to  forage  by
27             antelope,  deer, elk or moose shall be processed under the provisions
28             of section 36-115, Idaho Code.
29        3.  Each approved claim must contain a certification by  the  director  of
30        the department of fish and game, or his designee, that:
31             (A)  All  statutory  requirements  leading up to approval for payment
32             have been met.
33             (B)  The claimant has  certified  that  he  will  accept  the  amount
34             approved  as  payment in full for the claim submitted, subject to the
35             conditions and requirements of this subsection.

Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact


                      STATEMENT  OF  PURPOSE
RS08408
This legislation reduces the transfer of hunting and fishing
license dollars to the Big Game Primary Depredation Account, and
replaces the funds with state general funds. Under this proposal,
the people of the state of Idaho would share the annual expense for
reimbursing depredation claims because wildlife is the property of
all the people in the state instead of just hunters and fishermen
bearing the whole expense.

FISCAL  IMPACT
Based on the past three years' experience, the average expense for
the state would be $44,000, and the expense for the Department of
Fish and Game would be reduced to $44,000.  The remainder of the
$100,000 transfer would be returned to the respective accounts.



CONTACT   
Name:          Patric Cudmore
Agency:   Department of Fish and Game
Phone:         334-3746

Statement of Purpose/Fiscal Impact                           H 6