| 1 | 1 | | HB212INTRODUCED |
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| 2 | 2 | | Page 0 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HB212 |
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| 4 | 4 | | AUW6SQQ-1 |
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| 5 | 5 | | By Representatives Kirkland, Ross, Colvin, Whorton |
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| 6 | 6 | | RFD: Agriculture and Forestry |
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| 7 | 7 | | First Read: 06-Feb-25 |
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| 12 | 12 | | 5 AUW6SQQ-1 01/31/2025 ZAK (L) 2024-1950 |
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| 13 | 13 | | Page 1 |
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| 14 | 14 | | First Read: 06-Feb-25 |
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| 15 | 15 | | SYNOPSIS: |
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| 16 | 16 | | This bill would require persons engaging in the |
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| 17 | 17 | | business of cutting or uprooting aquatic plants in |
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| 18 | 18 | | public waters to employ certain methods to ensure cut |
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| 19 | 19 | | and uprooted plant matter is removed from these waters. |
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| 20 | 20 | | This bill would also provide criminal penalties |
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| 21 | 21 | | for violating this requirement. |
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| 22 | 22 | | A BILL |
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| 23 | 23 | | TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 24 | 24 | | AN ACT |
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| 25 | 25 | | Relating to state waters; to require persons engaging |
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| 26 | 26 | | in the business of cutting or uprooting aquatic plants in |
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| 27 | 27 | | public waters to use certain methods to remove this plant |
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| 28 | 28 | | matter; and to provide criminal penalties for violations. |
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| 29 | 29 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA: |
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| 30 | 30 | | Section 1. (a) Any person engaging in the business of |
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| 31 | 31 | | cutting, trimming, severing, or uprooting aquatic plants |
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| 32 | 32 | | within public waters, as defined in Section 9-11-80, Code of |
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| 33 | 33 | | Alabama 1975, shall employ commercially reasonable methods to |
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| 34 | 34 | | remove any cut, trimmed, severed, or uprooted aquatic plant |
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| 35 | 35 | | matter from public waters. |
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| 36 | 36 | | (b)(1) A person who violates this section shall be |
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| 64 | 64 | | 28 HB212 INTRODUCED |
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| 65 | 65 | | Page 2 |
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| 66 | 66 | | (b)(1) A person who violates this section shall be |
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| 67 | 67 | | guilty of a Class C misdemeanor and shall be fined not less |
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| 68 | 68 | | than five hundred dollars ($500) to be remitted to the primary |
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| 69 | 69 | | enforcing law enforcement agency. |
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| 70 | 70 | | (c) The Department of Conservation and Natural |
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| 71 | 71 | | Resources shall adopt rules to implement and administer this |
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| 72 | 72 | | section, including establishing commercially reasonable |
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| 73 | 73 | | methods of removing, cutting, trimming, severing, or uprooting |
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| 74 | 74 | | aquatic plants. |
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| 75 | 75 | | Section 2. This act shall become effective on October |
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| 76 | 76 | | 1, 2025. |
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