By Madla                                              S.B. No. 1570

         75R9013 JMM-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the hunting, taking, or killing of certain endangered

 1-3     species.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Chapter 43, Parks and Wildlife Code, is amended

 1-6     by adding Subchapter R to read as follows:

 1-7        SUBCHAPTER R.  PERMITS TO KILL PROTECTED CARNIVOROUS MAMMALS

 1-8           Sec. 43.601.  APPLICATION FOR PERMIT.  (a)  The owner or a

 1-9     person in control of a tract of land may file with the department

1-10     an application for a permit to validate the killing of a

1-11     carnivorous mammal listed with the secretary of state under Section

1-12     68.003 that was a threat to livestock on that land and that was

1-13     killed on that land without a permit in violation of this code.

1-14           (b)  The application must be submitted in writing not later

1-15     than 24 hours after the mammal is killed.

1-16           (c)  The application must:

1-17                 (1)  contain an affidavit by a person with knowledge

1-18     that the killed mammal killed or injured or attempted to kill or

1-19     injure livestock on the land owned or in control of the person

1-20     applying for the permit; and

1-21                 (2)  identify the location of the carcass of the

1-22     mammal.

1-23           Sec. 43.602.  PERMIT.  After the department receives a permit

1-24     application that meets the requirements of Section 43.601, the

 2-1     department shall issue a permit validating the killing of the

 2-2     carnivorous mammal described in the affidavit submitted with the

 2-3     application.

 2-4           Sec. 43.603.  DISPOSITION OF CARCASS.  The department shall

 2-5     determine the disposition of the carcass of a mammal for which a

 2-6     permit is issued under this subchapter.

 2-7           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

 2-8           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-9     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-10     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-11     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-12     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.