2005 Legislation
Print Friendly

SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 102 – Dogs, protect from wolves

SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 102

View Bill Status

View Bill Text

View Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact



Text to be added within a bill has been marked with Bold and
Underline. Text to be removed has been marked with
Strikethrough and Italic. How these codes are actually displayed will
vary based on the browser software you are using.

This sentence is marked with bold and underline to show added text.

This sentence is marked with strikethrough and italic, indicating
text to be removed.

Bill Status



SJM102.........................................by RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT
DOGS - WOLVES - Stating findings of the Legislature and urging Congress to
support broadening the federal regulation to authorize citizens to protect
their pet dogs and sporting dogs in the same manner as provided for
livestock, including dogs that guard or herd livestock; to support the
continued funding through federal grants of Idaho's Wolf Depredation
Compensation Plan; and to support the broadening of compensation criteria
to provide compensation for wolf-related losses of all dogs in the same
manner as provided for the loss of livestock.
                                                                        
02/14    Senate intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/15    Rpt prt - to Res/Env
02/22    Rpt out - rec d/p - to 10th Ord
02/23    10th Ord - ADOPTED - voice vote
    Floor Sponsor - Schroeder
    Title apvd - to House
02/24    House intro - 1st rdg - to Res/Con
03/02    Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
03/03    2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
03/09    3rd rdg - ADOPTED - voice vote
    Floor Sponsor - Wood
    Title apvd - to Senate
03/10    To enrol
03/11    Rpt enrol - Pres signed
03/14    Sp signed
03/15    To Secretary of State

Bill Text


                                                                        
                                                                        
  ]]]]              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ]]]]
 Fifty-eighth Legislature                   First Regular Session - 2005
                                                                        
                                                                        
                                       IN THE SENATE
                                                                        
                               SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 102
                                                                        
                           BY RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
                                                                        
  1                                   A JOINT MEMORIAL
  2    TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED  STATES  IN  CONGRESS
  3        ASSEMBLED,  AND  TO THE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION REPRESENTING THE STATE OF
  4        IDAHO IN THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES.
                                                                        
  5        We, your Memorialists, the Senate and the House of Representatives of  the
  6    State  of  Idaho  assembled  in  the First Regular Session of the Fifty-eighth
  7    Idaho Legislature, do hereby respectfully represent that:
                                                                        
  8        WHEREAS, in 1995 and 1996, pursuant to provisions of the  Endangered  Spe-
  9    cies  Act,  the  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reintroduced wolves into Idaho
 10    where they have since been managed by the federal government and the Nez Perce
 11    Tribe; and
 12        WHEREAS, since reintroduction, the  wolf  population  has  grown  steadily
 13    along with wolf-related livestock losses and other animal losses; and
 14        WHEREAS,  since  the  reintroduction,  the  central  Idaho  recovery  area
 15    attained  its  share of the wolf population criteria necessary to initiate the
 16    delisting countdown. The delisting of wolves, however, will  not  occur  until
 17    the  states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming have all established wolf management
 18    plans that are acceptable to the federal government; and
 19        WHEREAS, in 2002, in preparation for delisting, the  Idaho  Department  of
 20    Fish and Game, in conjunction with Idaho's Wolf Oversight Committee, completed
 21    an  Idaho  Wolf Conservation and Management Plan to facilitate the transfer of
 22    management authority to the state following delisting; and
 23        WHEREAS, Montana has also established a plan. As of the date of this Joint
 24    Memorial, however, the state of Wyoming has not established  a  plan  that  is
 25    acceptable to the federal government; and
 26        WHEREAS, a new federal regulation, "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and
 27    Plants;  Regulation  for  Nonessential Experimental Populations of the Western
 28    District Population Segment of the Gray Wolf," Federal  Register,  Volume  70,
 29    Number  4, Pages 1285-1311 (January 6, 2005) (to be codified at 50 C.F.R. part
 30    17), scheduled to go into effect in February of  2005,  gives  the  states  of
 31    Idaho  and  Montana  more authority to manage wolves inside a federally desig-
 32    nated recovery area. The regulation will afford citizens more latitude to kill
 33    wolves that are about to attack livestock, including dogs that guard  or  herd
 34    livestock, on private land or public grazing allotments; and
 35        WHEREAS,  federal  regulations  do not allow citizens to protect their pet
 36    dogs or sporting dogs unless the dog is on private land owned or leased by the
 37    citizen, even though wolves do not tolerate any other canines in their  vicin-
 38    ity,  and citizens should be authorized to protect their pet dogs and sporting
 39    dogs in the same manner as provided for livestock, including dogs  that  guard
 40    or herd livestock; and
 41        WHEREAS,  the  Defenders  of  Wildlife  compensates citizens for livestock
 42    losses due to confirmed or probable wolf related incidents. In 2003, the Idaho
 43    Wolf Depredation Compensation Plan was established for the purpose of  compen-
 44    sating  citizens for unconfirmed livestock losses with annual funding provided
                                                                        
                                           2
                                                                        
  1    through federal grants. Funding, however, has not always  been  sufficient  to
  2    cover all claims; and
  3        WHEREAS,  wolf  related  losses of all dogs constitute the loss of private
  4    property and compensation should be provided in the same  manner  as  provided
  5    for  the  loss of livestock. Additional funding is necessary to cover the full
  6    payment of all claims for loss of livestock and for the loss of all dogs.  The
  7    state  of  Idaho reiterates its expectations relating to the commitment of the
  8    federal government to provide the state with funding pursuant to 7 U.S.C. sec-
  9    tion 426b, provisions of the ESA, all other applicable  laws,  and  the  Idaho
 10    Wolf Conservation and Management Plan.
 11        NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the First Regular Session
 12    of the Fifty-eighth Idaho Legislature, the Senate and the House of Representa-
 13    tives concurring therein, that we urge Congress to support broadening the fed-
 14    eral  regulation,  "Endangered  and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Regulation
 15    for Nonessential Experimental Populations of the Western  District  Population
 16    Segment  of  the  Gray  Wolf,"  Federal  Register,  Volume 70, Number 4, Pages
 17    1285-1311 (January 6, 2005) (to be codified at 50 C.F.R. part 17), to  author-
 18    ize citizens to protect their pet dogs and sporting dogs in the same manner as
 19    provided for livestock, including dogs that guard or herd livestock.
 20        BE  IT  FURTHER  RESOLVED,  that we urge Congress to support the continued
 21    funding through federal grants of Idaho's Wolf Depredation  Compensation  Plan
 22    and  the  broadening of compensation criteria to provide compensation for wolf
 23    related losses of all dogs in the same manner as  provided  for  the  loss  of
 24    livestock.
 25        BE  IT  FURTHER  RESOLVED  that the Secretary of the Senate be, and she is
 26    hereby authorized and directed to forward a copy of this Memorial to the Pres-
 27    ident of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of  Representatives  of  Con-
 28    gress, and the congressional delegation representing the State of Idaho in the
 29    Congress of the United States.

Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact


                           STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

                                RS 14703C2


The purpose of this memorial is to petition the Congress of the United States to
authorize citizens to protect their pet dogs and sporting dogs in the same manner as
provided for dogs that guard or herd livestock and to support continued funding
through federal grants of Idaho's Wolf Depredation Compensation Plan and the
broadening of compensation criteria to provide compensation for wolf related losses
of all dogs. 



                                FISCAL IMPACT

None




Contact:Senator Gary J. Schroeder, 332-1324
        Senator Don Burtenshaw, 332-1315
        Senator Skip Brandt 332-1326
        Senator Monty Pearce 332-1339
        Representative Lenore Barrett 332-1247
        Representative Cliff Bayer 332-1250
        Representative George Eskridge 332-1270
        Representative Dick Harwood 332-1210
        Representative Mike Moyle   332-1244
        Representative JoAn Wood 332-1212                              SJM 102