HB 2603
Initials BSR Page 1 House Engrossed
ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Fifty-seventh Legislature
First Regular Session
House: LARA DPA 4-2-1-2
HB 2603: hunting; fishing; license; deferred prosecution
Sponsor: Representative Nguyen, LD 1
House Engrossed
Overview
Allows the Game and Fish Commission (Commission) to revoke or suspend a person’s license
to take or possess wildlife if the licensee is entering a deferred prosecution agreement.
History
The Commission may revoke or suspend a license issued to any person and deny the person
the right to secure another license to take or possess wildlife for five year on conviction or
after adjudication as a delinquent juvenile for:
1) unlawfully taking, selling, offering for sale, bartering or possession of wildlife;
2) carless use of firearms that resulted in the injury or death of a person;
3) destroying, injuring or molesting livestock or damaging or destroying growing crops,
personal property, notices or signboards or other improvements while hunting,
trapping or fishing;
4) littering public hunting or fishing areas while taking wildlife;
5) knowingly allowing another person to use the person's game tag;
6) taking or driving wildlife from closed areas or while trespassing;
7) trespassing on private land to hunt, fish, trap or guild wildlife;
8) intentionally interfering with, preventing or disrupting the lawful taking of wildlife
by another person while in a hunting area as outlined;
9) knowingly purchasing, applying for, accepting, obtaining or using a fraud or
misrepresented license, permit, tag or stamp to take wildlife;
10) acting as a guide without having procured a guide license;
11) taking a game bird, game mammal or game fish and knowingly permitting an edible
portion thereof to go to waste; or
12) using an aircraft to take, assist in taking, harass, chase, drive, locate or assist in
locating wildlife (A.R.S. § 17-340).
Deferred prosecution is a special supervision program in which the county attorney of a
participating county may divert or defer, before a guilty plea or a trial, the prosecution of a
person who is accused of committing a crime (A.R.S. § 11-361).
Provisions
1. Authorizes the Commission to revoke or suspend a person’s license to take or possess
wildlife if the licensee is entering a deferred prosecution agreement. (Sec. 1)
2. Stipulates that an active license revocation for an agreement to defer prosecution
terminates after the licensee provides proof to the Commission that:
a) they have satisfactorily completed the terms and obligations of a deferred prosecution;
☐ Prop 105 (45 votes) ☐ Prop 108 (40 votes) ☐ Emergency (40 votes) ☐ Fiscal Note HB 2603
Initials BSR Page 2 House Engrossed
b) their criminal charges have been dismissed;
c) they have completed all required training courses; and
d) they have paid in full all civil penalties imposed. (Sec. 2)
3. Adds, to the list of criteria for which the Commission may revoke or suspend a license to
take or possess wildlife, a violation of Title 13 involving the taking or possession of
wildlife. (Sec. 2)
4. Makes technical and conforming changes. (Sec. 1 and 2)