By Brendan Dzwierzynski
KU Statehouse Wire Service
TOPEKA — After debating the practicality of requiring consent to hunt on someone else’s private property, the House Committee of the Whole re-referred Sub HB 2207 back to the Committee on Agriculture, where it was originally introduced last month.
If a wounded animal entered private property, the current iteration of the bill would require hunters to get permission from the private land owner in order to follow the animal onto the property.
Rep. Lonnie Clark (R-Junction City) moved to re-refer the bill back to the Committee on Agriculture, describing Thursday’s discussion of the bill as controversial.
“I think is more law on top of law, and I don’t think it’s going to create any kind of a mechanism to halt this,” Clark said. “It’s just something else on the books.”
Rep. Joe Seiwert (R-Pretty Prairie), who presented the bill Thursday, argued that the bill has been discussed enough in committee already.
“I would assume if you own property that you would like the right to know who’s on your property,” Seiwert said. “We’ve debated this quite extensively in committee.”
“Mr. Speaker, I see no reason at all to send this back, because it’s real simple: You either have permission to be there, or you don’t,” Seiwert said.
Rep. Eric Smith (R-Burlington) was the first to speak against the bill, arguing that needing permission to enter private property after a wounded animal is impractical, using his own experiences in hunting as an example.
“I hunt next to property that’s owned by investors out of Kansas City … I guess I’ve got to get a hold of that office and see if they can track down the guy, who’s probably on a business trip in San Francisco, and see if he’ll sign permission for me to go over there and get my deer,” Smith said.
In 2016, the state added a constitutional amendment to protect the right to hunt. Smith referenced this in his argument, saying that the bill is just something that will push local hunters away.
According to its fiscal note, the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism indicates the bill would have no fiscal effect on the department. However, the Office of Judicial Administration indicates it could have a fiscal effect in terms of new cases and more time spent processing, but it could not define an estimate.
Brendan Dzwierzynski is a University of Kansas senior journalism major from LaGrange Park, Illinois.