Bill Analyses and Ratings
Bill Information: H0653 – Wildlife Movement Notification and County Approval Act
Bill Summary
House Bill 653 amends Idaho’s wildlife management statutes to establish new procedures for moving wild game animals. The bill creates two categories of wildlife movement: ‘planned movement’ (scheduled relocations for management purposes) and ‘responsive movement’ (emergency relocations for public safety). For planned movements, the Department of Fish and Game must provide 30-day advance notice to county commissioners and affected landowners or grazing permittees within a five-mile radius. Any affected person can request a public hearing, where county commissioners vote to approve or reject the proposed movement—a decision that is binding on the department director.
The bill expands existing bighorn sheep relocation requirements to cover all wild game species. It prohibits the release of captive-born wolves or grizzly bears into the wild except when necessary to avoid federal endangered species listing or facilitate delisting. For responsive movements conducted without prior notice due to immediate threats, the department must provide notice within 72 hours and maintain a publicly accessible report of all such actions. The bill also expands disease testing requirements from specific species to all classified big game that is imported, transported, or used by the department.
Overall Assessment
This bill significantly empowers county governments and private landowners by giving them binding authority to block wildlife relocations on or near their property. Ranchers and agricultural operators gain substantial protection from unwanted wildlife introductions that could threaten livestock through disease transmission or predation. The prohibition on releasing captive-born wolves and grizzly bears addresses concerns about predator reintroduction, while the expanded notification requirements ensure that property owners have meaningful input before wildlife management decisions affect their operations.
Rating Breakdown
ARTICLE I. RESPONSIBILITY IN GOVERNMENT (0)
The bill establishes administrative procedures for wildlife movement but does not address fiscal responsibility, taxation, government spending, or legislative oversight of budgets. The new notification and hearing requirements create additional administrative processes without addressing the core concerns of government fiscal management defined in this metric.
ARTICLE II. CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT IN GOVERNMENT (0)
While the bill creates public hearing opportunities where 'the board shall conduct one (1) public hearing... [and] accept oral public comment,' this metric focuses on election processes, primary elections, and voting systems. The administrative hearings for wildlife decisions do not constitute the type of electoral or democratic process reforms contemplated by this metric.
ARTICLE III. EDUCATION (0)
The bill addresses wildlife management procedures and contains no provisions related to schools, curriculum, parental rights in education, educational funding, or any other education-related policy areas.
ARTICLE IV. AGRICULTURE (1)
The bill directly protects agricultural operations by requiring notice to 'affected federal and state land grazing permittees and owners or leaseholders of private land' before wildlife movements. County commissioners can reject planned movements that threaten livestock operations, and the bill mandates written agreements recognizing 'existing sheep or livestock operations in the area of any wild game transplant or relocation' and accepting 'the potential risk, if any, of disease transmission and loss of wild game when the same invade domestic livestock or sheep operations.'
ARTICLE V. WATER (0)
The bill addresses wildlife movement and disease testing protocols but contains no provisions related to water rights, water appropriation, inter-basin transfers, or water resource management.
ARTICLE VI. NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT (0)
While the bill relates to wildlife resources, it does not address the metric's focus on federal environmental policy, wilderness designations, forest health, or state authority over natural resource management vis-à-vis federal agencies. The bill modifies state wildlife procedures without engaging federal land management or environmental regulatory frameworks.
ARTICLE VII. ENERGY (0)
The bill addresses wildlife management and contains no provisions related to energy independence, energy production, hydroelectric power, electrical rates, or energy resource development.
ARTICLE VIII. IDAHO NATIONAL LABORATORIES (0)
The bill addresses wildlife management procedures and contains no provisions related to the Idaho National Laboratory, nuclear research, or energy technology development.
ARTICLE IX. PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS (1)
The bill strengthens private property rights by requiring 30-day advance notice to 'owners or leaseholders of private land within a contiguous five (5) mile radius of the planned movement's proposed release site' and giving county commissioners binding authority to reject wildlife releases. The provision that responsive movements 'shall avoid release sites' where 'livestock or production agricultural activity are actively occurring' further protects property owners from unwanted wildlife impacts on their operations.
ARTICLE X. STATE AND FEDERAL LANDS (0)
The bill requires notification to federal land grazing permittees but does not address the transfer of federal lands to state control, state management of federal lands, or the amount of land owned by the federal government—the core concerns of this metric.
ARTICLE XI. WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT (1)
The bill directly implements the metric's principle to 'manage fish and wildlife... while respecting private property rights' by requiring landowner notification and county approval for planned movements. It addresses the metric's opposition to predator reintroduction by prohibiting the release of captive-born wolves or grizzly bears 'unless the release is specifically required to avoid listing pursuant to the endangered species act or is to facilitate delisting of the species.' The expanded notification requirements ensure local input in wildlife management decisions.
ARTICLE XII. ECONOMY (0)
The bill addresses wildlife management procedures and does not contain provisions related to commerce, industry, small business development, taxation, or economic regulatory environments as defined in this metric.
ARTICLE XIII. HEALTH AND WELFARE (0)
While the bill expands disease testing for wild game 'for the presence of certain communicable diseases and strains that can be transmitted to domestic livestock,' this addresses animal health rather than human healthcare delivery, health insurance, patient rights, or welfare programs as defined in this metric.
ARTICLE XIV. AMERICAN FAMILY (0)
The bill addresses wildlife management procedures and contains no provisions related to family values, parental authority, marriage, right to life, or children's welfare.
ARTICLE XV. OLDER AMERICANS (0)
The bill addresses wildlife management procedures and contains no provisions related to older Americans, retirement, or services for elderly citizens.
ARTICLE XVI. LAW AND ORDER WITH JUSTICE (0)
The bill addresses wildlife management procedures and does not contain provisions related to gun rights, criminal justice, death penalty, drug policy, incarceration, or immigration enforcement.
ARTICLE XVII. NATIONAL DEFENSE – SECURING THE BORDER (0)
The bill addresses wildlife management procedures and contains no provisions related to military veterans, national defense, border security, or terrorism prevention.
ARTICLE XVIII. ELECTION OF JUDGES AND IDAHO SUPREME COURT JUSTICES (0)
The bill addresses wildlife management procedures and contains no provisions related to judicial elections, judicial selection processes, or constitutional interpretation.
ARTICLE XIX. RELIGIOUS LIBERTY (0)
The bill addresses wildlife management procedures and contains no provisions related to religious freedom, free exercise of religion, or the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.