LEGISLATIVE UPDATE - MAY 2007

AB 815

Despite opposition from animal rights activists, AB 815 (Berryhill), which would prohibit local governments from banning otherwise legal hunting or fishing activities, cleared the Assembly Floor 72-3 in late May. Next stop is the Senate Natural Resources and Wildlife Committee. AB 815 is sponsored by the California Outdoor Heritage Alliance (COHA) and strongly supported by CWA and a broad coalition of hunting, fishing, wildlife conservation and landowner groups.

AB 1634

A bill that would impose mandatory spay and neuter requirements and significant fees on dog owners in California recently passed the Assembly Business and Professions Committee on a party-line vote.  AB 1634 (Levine) is opposed by literally hundreds of dog associations and sporting groups, including CWA and COHA.  While some exemptions are provided in the bill, they fail to fully address the needs of breeders of hunting and field trialing dogs.  The bill will next be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 1471

Legislation which would require semiautomatic handguns to be equipped with a mechanism that transfers microscopic characters that identify the firearm’s make, model and serial number onto the cartridge case when fired passed out of Assembly Public Safety Committee on a party-line 5 to 2 vote on April 24th.  AB 1471, authored by Los Angeles Assembly Member Mike Feuer (D-42nd), now moves to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.   The measure is strongly opposed by COHA and a variety of gun organizations due to the substantial impact it would have on the cost of the firearms, and the conservation dollars generated via the Pittman-Robertson Act on the sale of the firearms and the munitions.

SB 695

Under pressure from Senate leadership, Senator Wiggins (D-Santa Rosa) has parked SB 695, a measure that would increase Fish and Game Warden compensation to within 5% of California Highway Patrol officers, in the Senate Committee on Public Employees and Retirement.  Even though SB 695 is now a two year bill, COHA staff will continue to fight for additional Game Warden funding through the State Budget process.  Thus far, Game Warden funding has been a major issue of concern at many of the budget hearings.