Enrolled Bill Summary

House Bill 2526 amends the Parks and Wildlife Code to provide for increased penalties for poaching. The act establishes certain offenses as state jail felonies punishable by confinement and a fine, increases penalties for habitual offenders, and establishes penalties of increasing severity for the killing of desert bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, mule deer, or white-tail deer. The act also grants the executive director of the Parks and Wildlife Department discretion in setting the length of time that a license or permit may be suspended and authorizes a court convicting a person of certain hunting violations to order any weapon or personal property used in the commission of the offense to be destroyed or forfeited to the Parks and Wildlife Department. In addition, House Bill 2526 authorizes the department to use, sell, transfer, or destroy the seized property, exempts vehicles, aircrafts, and vessels from seizure, and requires that any sale proceeds be deposited in the game, fish, and water safety account.