Natural Resources – Week of March 31, 2011

STAFF CONTACT:  Jace Mikels

SF 7 – Lowering the blood-alcohol content level for boating while intoxicated

HF 461 – Attachment of tags to deer carcasses
FLOOR ACTION:

SF 7 lowers the legal limit for boating while intoxicated. The legal blood-alcohol content (BAC) limit is currently .10. The bill would lower the level to .08, which would match the current BAC limit for driving while intoxicated. On this passage, the Senate adopted a House amendment that made changes to the definition “operation” of a motorboat or sailboat as it relates to boating while intoxicated. With the amendment, an individual must be observed in operation of the vessel to be investigated for suspicion of operating under the influence. For the purposes of drunk boating, “operation” means a vessel propelled by a running motor or sail hoisted and the vessel is under way. [3/29: 41-9 (Anderson, Bartz, Bertrand, Chelgren, Dix, Kettering, Sodders, Sorenson, and Zaun “no”)]

COMMITTEE ACTION:

HF 421 requires a hunter to attach the tag that accompanies the deer license to a deer carcass within 15 minutes of locating the carcass of the taken deer or prior to transporting the carcass from the location it was taken, whichever occurs first. Current law simply says the deer shall be tagged when taken. [3/30: short form]