By Alexander                                          H.B. No. 2024
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the offense of harassment of hunters, trappers, and
    1-3  fishermen.
    1-4        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-5        SECTION 1.  Section 62.0125, Parks and Wildlife Code, is
    1-6  amended to read as follows:
    1-7        Sec. 62.0125.  Harassment of Hunters, Trappers, and Fishermen
    1-8        (a)  This section may be cited as the Sportsman's Rights Act.
    1-9        (b)  In this section:
   1-10              (1)  "Wildlife" means all species of wild mammals,
   1-11  birds, fish, reptiles, or amphibians.
   1-12              (2)  "Process of hunting or catching" means any act
   1-13  directed at the lawful hunting or catching of wildlife, including
   1-14  camping or other acts preparatory to hunting or catching of
   1-15  wildlife that occur on land or water on which the affected person
   1-16  has the right or privilege of hunting or catching that wildlife.
   1-17        (c)  No person may intentionally interfere with another
   1-18  person lawfully engaged in the process of hunting or catching
   1-19  wildlife.
   1-20        (d)  No person may intentionally harass, drive, or disturb
   1-21  any wildlife for the purpose of disrupting a person lawfully
   1-22  engaged in the process of hunting or catching wildlife.
   1-23        (e)  No person may enter or remain on public land or enter or
    2-1  remain on private land without the landowner's or his agent's
    2-2  consent if the person intends to disrupt another person lawfully
    2-3  engaged in the process of hunting or catching wildlife.
    2-4        (f)  This section does not apply to a peace officer of this
    2-5  state, a law enforcement officer of the United States, a member of
    2-6  the armed forces of the United States or of this state, or
    2-7  employees the department or other state or federal agencies having
    2-8  statutory responsibility to manage wildlife or land during the time
    2-9  that the officer, member, or employee is in the actual discharge of
   2-10  official duties.
   2-11        (g)  A person who violates this section commits an offense.
   2-12  An offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor.
   2-13        (h)  It is an affirmative defense to prosecution that the
   2-14  defendant's conduct is protected by the right to freedom of speech
   2-15  under the constitution of this state or the United States.
   2-16        SECTION 2.  This Act shall take effect on September 11, 1993.
   2-17        SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-18  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-19  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-20  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on these several
   2-21  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.