Now is the time to contact legislators
Hunters, anglers need to open up the 2-minute playbook this week
Use your telephone, use your email, quit griping to your buddies on Facebook and Twitter and actually get something done. It’s time to contact your legislators in a way that makes a difference.
Hunting and Fishing regulations changes have been forwarded to the legislature, and the legislature itself is at the 2-minute-warning before the end of the important first half of play at the Capitol.
Next Thursday (March 11) is the deadline for any surviving bills to be heard on House or Senate floors. After next week the bills that pass the Senate or House will advance to the other body, which in most cases means a House bill will advance to a Senate committee and a Senate bill will be assigned to a House committee.
We start the session with a lot of chaff, now is when we get down to the kernels that survived the sorting process; the stuff that really needs our attention.
This includes administrative rules as well. In its regular March meeting the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission approved all but one of the proposed changes for Title 800 rules. You know, the ones we all commented on back in December. Those are on their way to the legislature for the rules-making process.
We start the session with a lot of chaff, now is when we get down to the kernels that survived the sorting process; the stuff that really needs our attention.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports only one of its proposed rules did not make it through to the Wildlife Commission due to public objections. It would have required all fish taken while bowhunting to be kept until the archer was done for the day.
Proposals that did make it include a three-fish daily limit for rainbow trout, allowing paddlefish harvest on Fridays and Mondays and a rule to prohibit disposal of fish remains within 100 yards of any boat ramp or swimming area. Among new wildlife rules are a blaze-orange exemption for dove hunters when big game seasons are open, and closing feral hog hunting on several Wildlife Management Areas where intensive federal eradication projects are underway.
Between what I’ve tracked and conversations with Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Legislative Liaison Corey Jager on Thursday, here is a rundown on current bills of note for hunters and anglers:
House Bill 2214 and Senate Bills 774 and 776
Of greatest consequence for hunters and anglers this session is a trio of bills that are linked together through Sen. Casey Murdock, who is listed as an author or co-author on all three.
It started with a request from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to have the ability to revamp its licensing structure and set fees according to the latest market research. It would submit its fee structure to the legislature for approval, just like other departments, after a public comment period and commission approval.
Senate Bill 774 accomplishes that goal for the department, Jager said. That bill has the department’s full support. It may be languishing, however, and if it has any chance of passing hunters and anglers will need to push hard for it over the next few days.
Senate Bill 776 is Murdock’s attempt for the third year in a row to restrict the Wildlife Department’s ability to purchase public lands for hunting and fishing. The department is neutral on the bill (but not necessarily supporting it), Jager said.
The Conservation Coalition of Oklahoma has stated the bill violates Article 26, Section II of the Oklahoma State Constitution, which directs the department to purchase lands for wildlife conservation, and that it violates private property owners’ rights to sell their land however and to whomever they please.
HB2214 started out addressing just the licensing request by the Department, but was amended to include the public lands restrictions of SB776. That move has been criticized by some as the worst kind of example of “logrolling” a practice of political quid pro quo that often combines an unpopular idea with a good one so that both may pass. Authors are calling the house bill “a compromise,” but that does not erase the now connected landowner’s rights or constitutional questions.
Conservation groups are calling for the defeat of HB2214 in favor of passing SB774.
Jager said the Department is interested enough in the licensing change going through that it is in favor of 2214 passing, essentially because it would help the department more than it would harm.
House Bill 1112
Introduced at the request of the Wildlife Department, HB1112 started with a request from trappers to give the Wildlife Department authority to set trapping rules given changing field conditions and technology were out-pacing the legislative process. It was amended to include another request that started with falconers, which rolls control of the squirrel hunting season into the hands of the commission and the department.
House Bill 1768 and Senate Bill 770
The identical HB1768 and SB770 extend the Wildlife Diversity Program optional tax check-off program through the year 2022. This is expected to pass without much discussion. It gives people who don’t hunt and fish an easy way to support wildlife.
House Bill 1986 and Senate Bill 829
Two bills that mandate fencing, HB1986 and SB829, are not specific to the Wildlife Department but all state agencies that own, operate or lease lands. They would mandate fenced enclosures for large areas or where livestock is grazed.
Jager said the bills, after some minor revisions, do not significantly change the way the Wildlife Department operates. In the case of purchasing materials for fencing the bills might make operations easier and less expensive.
Senate Bill 772
A bill that makes a slight change in the current wording that allows landowners to deal with wildlife that damages their lands or crops, SB772, makes only a slight change. It specifies that landowners may give written permission to an agricultural lessee or a designated agent, and i is primarily aimed at shooting feral hogs at night, Jager said.
Game Wardens still will be notified of when and where nighttime shooting will be take place, she said.
The bill also increases the penalty for illegal night hunting from $250 to $2,500 and allows law enforcement officials to confiscate things like night-vision scopes upon conviction.
Senate Bill 839
A bill that would prevent game wardens from placing wildlife cameras on private property without permission from the landowner or a valid warrant issued by judge, SB 839, has no impact on current practice, Jager said.
The bill apparently is pre-emptive and inspired by an incident in another state, she said. While no law specifically addresses game wardens using game cameras for surveillance on private lands, it’s not something that has been done in Oklahoma and wardens have no plans to do something like that without permission or a court order, she said.
“We’re fine with that bill. It doesn’t change any current practices,” she said.
Public Lands Resolution (HR1002 & SR8)
Thirty statewide entities, including chambers of commerce, local breweries, tribal nations and conservation organizations, are backing a resolution that encourages state leaders to sign on with their support for public lands.
Led by the Nature Conservancy, the group is trying to get as many legislators as possible to sign on as co-sponsors prior to March 25. The groups want people to contact their legislators and share the message with an easy-to-use form at nature.org/publiclands.
People can also learn more about the campaign and what the resolutions are about through social media by searching for #OKpubliclands.
Title 800 Rules
The proposed rules passed by the Wildlife Commission this week now go to the House Administrative Rules Committee and become part of an omnibus bill that will include proposed administrative rules from all departments across state government.
In very general terms, as Jager neatly boiled it down, a final bill will come out of the committee that will say something like, “we recommend the legislature passes all these new regulations, except this one and that one and that one.”
She said some proposed wildlife rules have indeed been rejected by the legislature in the past.
If any of the Title 800 rules passed by the Commission are of concern to you, now is the time to contact legislators on Rules Committee and let them know about it.
How to find, contact and comment to legislators
Write down a few sentences, just a few, stating your concern and what you want to see happen. Just say this or that bill is unfair, unconstitutional or wrong for whatever reason and state which bills or new regulations should pass or should be voted down.
Then be prepared to copy-and-paste, and send.
The Oklahoma Legislature website at oklegislature.gov has everything you need to contact your legislators.
To find your legislator go to oklegislature.gov and click on the drop-down menu under “Legislators.” In the drop-down, click on “Find My Legislator.” Then you will see a window with photos and links to the profile pages of your local representatives and senators.
Click on your legislator’s profile and you will see a link on their pages to send email to them. Then just fill in the blanks and send.
But don’t stop there!
Go to the link under “Committees” to the Senate Agriculture and Wildlife Committee and send your thoughts to members of that committee.
Do the same for members of the House Wildlife Committee.
If you’re wanting to comment about Title 800 Rules, address your concerns to members of the House Administrative Rules Committee.
To complete covering all the bases, send emails of the offices of Speaker of the House Sen. Charles McCall, R-Atoka, Senate Majority Leader Kim David, R-Porter, and Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Kim Floyd, D-Oklahoma City.