AB 471

Under current law, if a court imposes a fine or forfeiture for the unlawful killing,

wounding, catching, taking, trapping, or possession of certain wild animals, the

court may impose a wild animal protection surcharge. The statute specifies the

amount of the surcharge allowed for each type of wild animal.

This bill allows a court to impose a higher wild animal protection surcharge

when it imposes a fine or forfeiture for the unlawful killing, wounding, catching,

taking, trapping, or possession of a deer, elk, or bear that has a certain size of antlers

or skull. The bill requires the Department of Natural Resources to establish a

method for measuring the antler or skull size, and specifies the amount of the

surcharge allowed for each animal. If both a regular and a higher wild animal

protection surcharge are allowed, the bill requires a court to impose the higher

surcharge.

The bill also increases the wild animal protection surcharges that may be

imposed for different types of game fish.