SF 389 – Firearm demonstration portion of hunter safety and ethics education
HF 361 – Hunting licenses for non-resident disabled veterans
HF 499 – Crossbows allowed hunting deer during late muzzleloader season
HF 522 – Rewrites Iowa’s aquatic invasive species law
FLOOR ACTION:
SF 389 would allow an individual 18 or older to take a hunter education and safety course and receive their hunter education certificate of completion without demonstrating the safe handling of a firearm. This is meant to help individuals complete the course online and still receive their certificate. [4/1: 43-7 (Black, Bolkcom, Dvorsky, Hogg, Petersen, Jochum, Quirmbach “no”)]
COMMITTEE ACTION:
HF 361 establishes special licenses for non-resident disabled veteran hunters. The bill creates 25 licenses each for hunting deer and wild turkey, along with additional special hunting licenses for other game. These licenses are available to non-resident disabled veteran hunters who are part of a hunt organized by an eligible organization. The licenses will be available at the cost of the applicable resident licenses. [3/28: short form]
HF 499 requires the Natural Resources Commission (NRC) to establish rules allowing the use of crossbows during the late muzzleloader deer season. [3/28: short form)]
HF 522 updates Iowa’s aquatic invasive species law based on the suggestions of the aquatic invasive species task force. The bill changes current law to allow the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to determine by rule what qualifies as an invasive species, rather than having them stated in Iowa Code by the Legislature; requires the draining of water from the equipment to prevent the transfer of invasive species from one waterway to another; and permits DNR to deny a watercraft entry to a waterway if its owner refuses an inspection for invasive species by a DNR officer. [3/28: short form)]