Bill > HB1417

This bill establishes a pilot program to combat chronic wasting disease (CWD) in white-tailed deer by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the State Board of Animal Health, which will run from 2025 to 2034. The program aims to enhance the genetic durability of Indiana's white-tailed deer population by collecting DNA samples to establish baseline genetic markers and implementing a permit system for purchasing deer from CWD-certified herds. The bill defines chronic wasting disease as a transmissible brain disease that causes deer to lose body condition, experience behavioral changes, and ultimately die. It requires owners of certified herds to sell only deer with high genetic resistance to CWD (specifically, those with a genomically estimated breeding value greater than 0.056) during a specified three-month period each year. Permits to purchase these deer will cost up to $500 and be valid for one year, with permit fees deposited into the captive cervidae programs fund to support the pilot program. The bill also amends existing legislation to incorporate these new provisions and allows the department and board to adopt rules for implementation.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2025/bills/house/1417/details