Sunset Advisory Commission Staff Report: Texas Parks and Wildlife ...

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hunting deer over bait is legal in Texas but not in many other states. If Texas were a member of IWVC, under terms of the Compact, if a Texas hunter is cited for hunting deer over bait in a Compact member state, Texas would not be required to take action against the hunter’s license. Currently 30 states are members to the Compact including Alaska, California, Florida, New York, and most Western states as shown on the map, Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact Member States. 13 Three states, Alabama, North Carolina, and Virginia, are currently considering legislation to join the Compact. Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact Member States Member Non Member Joining the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact would be advantageous for Texas. The IWVC offers the significant benefit of saving game warden time. Under IWVC, when confronting a violator from another state, game wardens would have more discretion in issuing a citation rather than making an arrest and taking the offender to a magistrate. In geographically large counties, such an arrest may take a game warden out of the field for several hours rather than staying in the field enforcing fish and game laws. IWVC also offers greater convenience for sportsmen from member states who are accused of a minor game violation in another member state. These travelers are treated in the same manner as in-state residents and may receive a citation in lieu of arrest. In many cases, the citation may be paid by mail. 30 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Sunset Staff Report Issue 4 November 2008
The IWVC compact also provides more accountability for violators and a greater deterrence to poaching. Sportsmen who commit a crime resulting in revocation of a hunting or fishing license in one state, also lose their hunting or fishing privileges in all other member states. The Compact also ensures that violators cannot flee justice merely by leaving the state. Through IWVC’s database,TPWD will have access to information about wildlife violators who have lost privileges in Compact states and can deny Texas licenses to those persons. Recommendation Change in Statute 4.1 Authorize the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission to join the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact on behalf of the State of Texas. This recommendation would authorize TPWD to join the IWVC and gain the benefits of a multi-state approach to handling violations of fish and game laws. During the application process, TPWD would need to compare Texas wildlife laws to those of IWVC member states to determine which provisions Texas would ratify as being comparable. Texas would not need to change its wildlife laws to match those of IWVC states, but through rulemaking the Commission would have the flexibility to indicate which laws of other states would be recognized as violations for Texas licensees. This process would ensure that Texas sportsmen are not penalized in Texas for violations committed in other states that do not violate Texas game laws. All terms of Texas wildlife laws would still apply to non-resident hunters in Texas. Should terms of the Compact ever change in a way that would not be beneficial to Texas, the authority granted to TPWD to join the Compact would also allow for the agency to withdraw after giving 90 days notice. Fiscal Implication This recommendation to authorize TPWD to join the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact would have a fiscal impact to the State of about $53,000 beginning in fiscal year 2010. The Department would need a half-time clerk to monitor and upload information into the Compact’s database. The base salary for this position is $17,292 and with benefits, equipment, and other costs, the first-year cost will be $30,107 and subsequent years will cost $23,000. The Department may incur minor costs to modify its information technology systems to report and query the Compact’s database. TPWD could incorporate these changes into its routine maintenance schedule. The recommendation would also result in a slightly diminished workload for TPWD’s game wardens as out-of-state violators would not have to be taken to county courthouses for minor offenses, but this savings is not quantifiable. The Board of Wildlife Violator Compact Administrators does not charge a fee to states to join Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, does not make an annual assessment, and member states are not charged to access or upload information into the IWVC database. Fiscal Year Cost to the Game, Fish, and Water Safety Fund (Fund 009) Change in FTEs From FY 2009 2010 $30,107 +.5 2011 $23,000 +.5 2012 $23,000 +.5 2013 $23,000 +.5 2014 $23,000 +.5 Sunset Staff Report Texas Parks and Wildlife Department November 2008 Issue 4 31
Page 1 and 2: SUNSET ADVISORY COMMISSION STAFF RE
Page 3 and 4: TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT
Page 5 and 6: SUMMARY •• •
Page 7 and 8: Staff could not fully assess one ke
Page 9 and 10: Direct TPWD to increase its use of
Page 11 and 12: Issue 1 Texas Parks and Wildlife Ca
Page 13 and 14: Paths of Introduction Invasive spec
Page 15 and 16: The Legislature has also required T
Page 17 and 18: In compiling the list of approved a
Page 19 and 20: Issue 2 TPWD Cannot Fully Assess th
Page 21 and 22: TPWD Resource Protection Reviews Ex
Page 23 and 24: Recommendations Change in Statute 2
Page 25 and 26: Issue 3 TPWD’s Internal Affairs F
Page 27 and 28: 150 state park law enforcement offi
Page 29 and 30: to the Executive Commissioner, TYC
Page 31 and 32: 1 Daniel L. Schofield, S.J.D.,“En
Page 33 and 34: Issue 4 Improve Enforcement of Texa
Page 35: Requiring game wardens to take non-
Page 39 and 40: Issue 5 Streamline Boat and Boat Tr
Page 41 and 42: TAC offices to provide boat registr
Page 43 and 44: Issue 6 The Department is Well Posi
Page 45 and 46: the urban and youth population to i
Page 47 and 48: Recommendations Change in Statute 6
Page 49 and 50: Issue 7 Texas Has a Continuing Need
Page 51 and 52: and purchases of equipment. In fact
Page 53 and 54: and water resources; and establish
Page 55 and 56: 1 2 3 Daniel Clifton, “The Greate
Page 57 and 58: ACROSS-THE-BOARD RECOMMENDATIONS
Page 59 and 60: 52 Texas Parks and Wildlife Departm
Page 61 and 62: Agency Information Agency at a Glan
Page 63 and 64: 1963 Merging the park and wildlife
Page 65 and 66: TPWD Field Locations S S Funding Re
Page 67 and 68: Federal Agency National Oceanic and
Page 69 and 70: The agency assigns a staff of eight
Page 71 and 72: Wildlife Classifications Game - Sta
Page 73 and 74: TPWD manages 51 wildlife management
Page 75 and 76: Infrastructure TPWD’s Infrastruct
Page 77 and 78: Marketing and Web Services The Depa
Page 79 and 80: Coordination of Fisheries and Wildl
Page 81 and 82: APPENDICES •• •
Page 83 and 84: Appendix A Texas House Bill 1 Rider
Page 85 and 86: Appendix A Requirement Implementati
Page 87 and 88:
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Page 89 and 90:
Appendix B Percent Technical Africa
Page 91 and 92:
Page 93 and 94:
Appendix C Building Construction 10
Page 95 and 96:
Page 97 and 98:
Appendix D Texas State Parks and Wi
Page 99 and 100:
Appendix E Local Park Grants Small
Page 101 and 102:
Appendix E Local Park Grants Recrea
Page 103 and 104:
Appendix E CV Local Park Grants Boa
Page 105 and 106:
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