Bill > SB1187

This bill clarifies the authority of the Natural Resources Commission (NRC), which is the governing body for the state's natural resources, to designate certain wildlife species as "game," meaning animals that can be legally hunted. Previously, only the legislature could designate game species, but this bill grants that power to the NRC, provided they use principles of sound scientific wildlife management. The bill also specifies that the legislature retains the sole authority to remove a species from the game list and that the NRC cannot designate domestic animals or livestock as game. The context for these changes is to ensure that hunting regulations are based on scientific evidence and to preserve hunting as a cultural heritage and a tool for conservation, while also addressing concerns like human-wildlife conflicts and the management of invasive species.